Blood on the Ground
by MorningSnow03
Summary: "I could tell you my story, but what would be the point? I'm a liar. I always have been. You have no reasons to believe me."
1. Prologue

"I could tell you my story, but what would be the point? I'm a liar. I always have been. You have no reasons to believe me. Am I projecting upon you? I do not deny that it may be the case. I rarely believe people when they offer autobiographies. After all, no one can tell a story without adding in some fiction to the tale, even one which is purported to be true. Do you believe this to be the case? No? Yes? The silence gives consent, I suppose, as the cliché goes.

"In this case, I wonder if you mind the fiction, perhaps the clear causes and effects necessary for this art is needed in your case. I suppose you'll want some full length explanation for the way my life has come to be in this dreary room, with one light bulb shining over my head, a metal table which clangs against my chains. The decorations are so contrasted with my life before this. That life was one of softness, of luxury, of loneliness so overpowering words in my native tongue can never express it.

"One which was ended by the love of the most beautiful thing my eyes could ever experience...

"Ah, what poetry comes from my mouth when I reminisce about the past? Are you prepared for prose? Can your feeble flatfooted nature understand my structure? No? Shall I simplify for you? I can tell you exactly what happened in two words:

"Hermione Granger."

A wand was pushed into his temple; he could feel the memories pouring into the wand, seven years of his life copied in one simple spell. From the moment he first laid eyes on the bushy haired girl, her punching him, her lying on the grass in the fall with his Aunt carving her, the confusion she showed when he killed a death eater to save her life. The heated kisses they had shared in the dead of winter, his betrayal of the dark lord, joining the Order, her joys, her sorrows, it all came out. He only thought of her.

A booming male voice suddenly came from a shadowed figure raised above him seated behind a desk like structure, "Your judgment will be made in three days' time, Mr. Malfoy. You will be returned to your cell, and anyone who wishes to speak on your behalf will be heard from in your absence."

A hammer fell.

The light was turned off above him.

His bindings rearranged themselves so he could walk again. The chains burned his skin as they moved. His voice hurt, it had been so long since he had used it. He cared not. His mind was filled with _Her._

Back in his cell, he returned to the past in his mind. He needed her voice to lull him to sleep. He dreamt of her during the Yule Ball, on the arm of Viktor Krum.

* * *

"If someone had told me 3 years ago that I would have anything polite to say about Draco Malfoy, I may have punched them in the mouth for spreading such blatant lies about my character. You all know who I am, I will not waste time proving myself before you. I implore you all to heed my words, Draco Malfoy has been punished his entire life for being born to privilege, most of the time by me. He does not deserve any more punishment. He has been lonely his entire life, do not take away the opportunity for him to become the man he is on the way to becoming.

"At our age, we can only be given opportunity to flourish through having social acceptance. Now is the second time in his life that a choice must be made regarding his acceptance into the wizarding world without the shadow of his father's misdeeds hanging over him.

"The first time I was the one to offer him the choice. He turned his back on his father and on the Dark Wizard who took over his family's home. He turned his back so fully he even killed his own father to protect Hermione Granger. Remember that in your deliberations, you are not punishing Lucius, no matter how alike they look. You need to remember he is Draco, and he doesn't deserve any more judgment based on his father."

"Harry Potter, do you have anything else to offer to the court?" The booming voice above him asked.

"I will give my memory of Draco Malfoy under Veritasium while telling the Order of his intentions regarding his switching sides, gladly, will this suffice?"

There was a mumbling coming from the crowd of judges around the booming voiced man. "Yes." He boomed. A wand was placed onto Harry's temple and he could feel the memory doubling and the twin of the original slipping out of his mind.

"You may step down." The voice commanded.

* * *

"Hermione Granger, that's my name. I'll keep this short. You've doubtlessly heard of my role in the defeat of Voldemort. If not that, then through the proceedings of this trial I'm sure you have heard my name mentioned at least once. Draco Malfoy would have told you that he left the Death Eaters to be with me. We have had 2 years of war torn bliss found only in each other. The thought that he could be on trial for having a tattoo put on his arm under force and threat of his family's slaughter is preposterous."

"Ms. Granger, you will show this court respect and not speak so impetuously." The booming voice reprimanded her.

"Fine, with all due respect, this trial is ridiculous. I see I have your attention at least. I will show you respect by telling you the truth and not cursing each of you simultaneously so you may do nothing except listen to me. That is all of the respect I shall show to this court. You have taken the only person in my life who understands me on a fundamental level.

"Pardon, allow me to gain control of my emotions. Facts. Is that what you want? Fine.

"He has saved my life from the Killing Curse his father sent at me.

"He killed his father in a wizard's duel- an acceptable death according to the court in which I stand.

"I have personally seen him heal and care for children, half-bloods, muggleborns, and even a few hippogriffs, despite his loathing for the last.

"He willingly gave up his ties to Voldemort's cause, including his family's wealth and status." Here she hesitated for half a heartbeat before continuing in a determined manner.

"You have the memories of both Harry Potter and Draco himself, I will willingly give up my own experiences to prove to you that he is not in any way a Death Eater, and does not sympathize with them even indirectly."

The wand was pressed to her temple; her memories slithered out of her head.

"Draco Malfoy, you have been accused of formerly being a Death Eater, sympathizing with the Death Eater cause, of endangering the lives of muggles and wizards alike, and finally of casting an illegal hex on the date of May the second, 1998. This court has heard enough testimony to come to an appropriate decision. Draco Malfoy, this court has decided to drop all charges due to inaccuracy of court documents. It seems that due to the likeness in your features to your father, he was the perpetrator of these activities. You are free to go."

The chains melted off his chaffed skin and his wand was placed in front of him. "I'm free?" He asked the voice.

Instead of a reply, the light above him was switched off.

* * *

A/N: This is an already completed story which I am editing and uploading here. There are mature scenes in this story, all will be clearly marked. I will be uploading a new chapter every Tuesday for a total of 17 chapters. Find my socials on my profile, if you're interested in that sort of thing!

Reviews are always welcome and encouraged! (If there are grammar/editing mistakes, please PM me!)


	2. Chapter 1

Draco's life had been crumbling around him for so long. The tears he had shed over his short life were meaningless, and yet he could not stop their onslaught. The kindness in those few words Dumbledore spoke at the end of Draco's wand were the sweetest he'd ever heard. They were the words of a blasphemer in his world- they allowed the possibility of hope.

Snape dragged him along the well-worn pathways of the castle Draco had known for the last six years of his life. Draco paid no mind to where his feet were being led. He thought about the words of a great wizard he had just watched die- at the end of the wand owned by the very same man who raced him through the castle. He pondered on their meaning. Their unsolicited promise. All the wrong choices. Those four words clanged in his head more loudly than the rest. He thought of ethics. Of negative responsibility. If he had ever really had a choice to do the right thing, he would still have the deaths of his parents on his soul. Is that really hope?

A fireplace roared in front of him, Snape was telling him to Floo somewhere. The powder hit the flames and turned green. Snape shouted an address into the flames and pushed his emotional wreck of a godson into their cool light.

He stepped blindly into a room he'd never seen before. Molly Weasley let out a shriek when the blonde boy stood, slouched, his hair in his face, looking just like his father. The fire leapt up behind him and Snape stepped into the room. "Molly, calm yourself. Call a meeting. We must discuss what just happened at the school."

Molly? Meeting? The simplest of words seemed to lose their meaning in the realm of sense to the boy. The room suddenly filled with people. Lupin pulled his wand as soon as he saw the blonde. A young blue haired girl also pulled her wand on him, shouting.

Arthur Weasley's voice cut through the din of the room and of Malfoy's mind. "The boy is not a danger to anyone in this room! He's been through a terrible shock, and everyone needs to calm down and allow Severus to explain what has happened!"

"He has failed in the mission which was appointed to him. I have had to end Dumbledore's life, as he himself requested I do. Draco will be killed if he returns to the lair of Voldemort right now. We must offer him sanctuary." His normal bored tone was not in his voice this night. He was frantically explaining the situation to those surrounding the pair. All were silently shocked.

"I deserve to be killed." Draco's hushed voice cut through the silence in the room like a knife. All eyes turned to him.

Molly, who was standing closest to him, stepped forward and touched his shoulder. "Why would you ever say a thing like that, dear?" His grey eyes met her clear brown and concerned eyes.

"Negative responsibility." He suddenly felt like he was no longer surrounded by strangers who would kill him. He felt as though he and Molly were the only ones in the room. The expression on her face made it impossible for him to lie or even evade her question. He didn't think about his words, his façade was too much to keep up anymore. "I didn't stop any of the evil things I have seen them done. My parents will be killed because I am not a killer myself. I had to do it. I had to let everything happen. I've never had a choice in anything before. But I'm still guilty. I deserve to be killed."

Her eyes filled with tears as he spoke. When he repeated his self-imposed verdict, her tears began to fall. Her arms wrapped around his shaking body and pulled him close to her. "You would let yourself be killed in place of your parents. That is the most noble thing anyone in your position could ever have done," She sobbed.

He wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her hair, sobbing like the child he was inside. He repeated his thanks so many times, it became a mantra.

The room was still silent, watching the actions of the two purebloods in front of them. Severus' eyes met Lupin's over Tonks' head and they made the decision that Snape and Lupin would save him, with a simple nod.

Moody entered the room and stared at the scene, his magical eye flitting all over the place. He cleared his throat when he had sufficiently sized up the situation. All eyes turned to him. "Finally come to the other side, have you boy?"

Snape's face contorted into something resembling a smile and the plans began to call an official meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

The shouting was heated. The arguments mostly weak, based on attributed characteristics of what they thought was going on. Malfoy sat there with a dazed expression as the Order yelled at each other. He'd never heard so much noise in one place.

Hermione carefully opened the door to the kitchen with a cuppa in her hands. She made her way around the Order members wild gesticulations stepped around those who were pacing, with a serene look on her face as though it were a normal experience for her. She stepped around Tonks as she acted out someone getting hit with a hex, and set the tea in front of Draco's clasped hands. He looked up at her with gratitude in his eyes. She patted his shoulder and faced the other members as he took a shaking sip.

Headmistress McGonagall entered the room in a fury of robes. "ATTENTION!" She called, once. Once was all the members needed, they all knew when McGonagall raised her voice it was time to pay attention to the small woman. "Are we all quite through retelling the gossip regarding Mr. Malfoy here?" Her face was stern as she looked at all in the room, making everyone feel guilty for being busybodies. "He is no different than anyone else who wishes to join the Order. He will take Veritasium, tell us his story and intentions and we will vote. I will make an exception, however, since we have all just proven how immature we can be, to only allow the top members of the Order and those who have sufficient reason to be in the room will be in attendance. Do I have objections?"

Ron stepped forward, his face almost purple with his rage, Hermione stopped him before he could speak, "Ronald Weasley, you will be in attendance and you will shut your trap during the entirety of the interview. I suggest you begin practicing right now." McGonagall nodded in approval.

Ron's mouth shut quickly and he stayed blushed for the rest of the night. Malfoy was biting the inside of his cheek to not let out hysterical laughter at the ginger's predictability.

Harry raised his hand, "Headmistress, I would like to be in attendance."

"Mr. Potter, I agree that you should be. Any objections?" No one spoke. "Good. The interviewers will be: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, The youngest Mr. Weasley, Professors Snape, Lupin, and Moody, Mr. Shacklebolt, and Mr. Potter and myself. We will have our interview of Mr. Malfoy in 30 minutes. The rest of you, please feel free to help yourselves to tea and cookies in the kitchen while you wait."

The talking commenced at once. Everyone turned to the nearest one who would be in the interview and suggested questions. Hermione looked down to Draco's blonde head. He was looking again at the chaos surrounding him. She tapped him on the shoulder. When he looked up at her, she said, "Come with me."

He stood, towering over her and followed her into a sitting room. She sat on an oversized chair with her legs crossed at the ankle, leaning forward slightly as she gestured to the seat in front of her.

As he sat, he unbuttoned his jacket to be more comfortable, and asked, "Are you in charge around here?"

She smiled thinly, "Unfortunately Mr. Malfoy, I cannot answer that question until after the interview is over with and a decision is made. I just need to go over some rules with you quickly before we get started, are you prepared for that?"

He paused for a moment looking at the blank wall to his left. He ordered his thoughts and prepared himself to listen fully. "I am prepared."

Her smile became slightly more genuine as she saw his preparation take place. It was a good sign to her that he at least didn't want to offend her. "When we are in a meeting or an interview, we have a specific set of guidelines. Firstly, we do not call each other by our given or just surname, like we do in school. I will address you as Mr. Malfoy, you will address me as Miss Granger. It's simply to make sure you remember that we are in civil conversation. You must remember to do this, else suffer the consequences of whomever you are speaking to seeing it as an insult. Is that clear, Mr. Malfoy?"

"It is clear Miss Granger." He answered in the same polite tone which she had afforded him.

"Very well. We also expect everyone to tell the truth in meetings. We will never ask you anything personal during meeting times, but direct honesty is the rule you should remember. This is why we choose to give Veritasium before the initiate is entered into any meeting. We all know what you look like when you tell the truth that way. In the oncoming interview, you will be given Veritasium, has it ever been given to you before?"

"Not to my knowledge," He answered, he saw her brow furrow, and he quickly added, "Miss Granger."

She nodded in thanks for the ending. "Do you suspect you have ever been given it before, Mr. Malfoy? Without your knowledge?" She was still frowning, That was an evasion, she thought.

He hesitated to answer her question, "Yes, Miss Granger. I suspect I have been given it before without my knowledge. I suspect you are asking so you know whether or not to give me an informed application of the dosage, correct?"

Her eyebrows raised, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, that is correct. How many times and when do you suspect it has been given to you?"

"Twice. The first time when I was 13, my suspicions are strong in that case. The second was last year, and I'm fairly certain that the dosage was incorrect." He paused in thought for a moment, "I'm pretty sure that is all, Miss Granger."

"Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Malfoy. Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one, Miss Granger, how did you know how I like my tea?"

She smiled a genuine smile this time, "I remembered you ordering one of your… hmm… Female lackeys around, saying you liked it strong and sweet, like you hated your women."

He chuckled. "Ah, that was Astoria Greengrass you're thinking of. Female lackeys, I do like that term." He paused, then asked, "Miss Granger, who will be asking the questions?"

She let the smile drift off her face as she looked to the door. "It's protocol to not tell you, Mr. Malfoy, I will not tell you."

"And what happens after the interview, Miss Granger?"

"There will be a vote on whether you can become an official member of the Order. If you pass from that point, Snape will work his magic with the Death Eaters to try to get you off the hook at least so you can become a double agent like him." She said with a serious expression. "You will lead a double life for as long as possible. But, I believe you can do it, Mr. Malfoy."

He rubbed his face distractedly. He muttered, "Might as well, been doin it this long," He looked back up at her and said, with conviction, "I am so sorry I have ever called you that disgusting word, Miss Granger. If anyone had heard me not call you that, suspicions would have been raised to my father almost immediately. I've been leading a double life ever since I… arrived at Hogwarts." He'd almost said something more damming.

Her eyes softened, "I had figured that out during third year."

He smiled thinly, "Before or after you punched me?"

She grinned, "Before. But you still deserved the punch."

He looked uncomfortably at the grandfather clock ticking in the corner. The ticking took over the room as he thought about how much he deserved punishment. It was five minutes until the midnight chime, five minutes until the questioning would begin. He looked back at Hermione who was studying his face. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I don't believe I have ever seen your real face." She answered softly. "Close to it once, I think, when you were at the end of my wand. But never like this. You have so much woe in your eyes. Like an old man who regrets his choices, and it is so well hidden behind such a young face..." She blushed, "Sorry, do you want a moment alone before we start?"

He was speechless. He had never heard anyone speak so openly in his entire life. The clock ticked in the corner. "No," he answered. "Please will you sit with me?"

"It is a brave man who will ask for company when he is in a vulnerable state," she commented softly.

"It is weakness, in this case. I've never been brave. I'm the most cowardly man who has ever lived," he covered his face as he said it, not wanting her to see the hope in his face her simple words caused. He needed to stop the feeling before it gained traction. "You'll hear it soon enough. Your opinion will revert to the one you had of me in school and I'll be out on my arse."

A small hand touched him on his shoulder and a voice said from above him, "Things will be alright. You've entered here, help is always available to those who seek it, as Dumbledore once told me. It is the case here too. Even if you're not added as a member, there will be other options. We have only a minute, are you ready?"

He sighed, dropping his hands from his face. "As I'll ever be." He looked up at her before she turned to the door and caught her eyes, "Thank you."

She was fascinated to find he had grey eyes, and that they were beautiful. She nodded and went to the door before she started speaking again. She had been too open with him and she was berating herself over it. The knob turned under her hand and she left the room to gather the members for his interview.

A/N: I totally spaced on posting this last night. Sorry! I know the tone of the characters is a little stiff, I can't figure out how to make them sound more natural in this chapter. There's one more chapter of super formality and then people go sort of more natural. I had the weird habit in this story of making everyone super smart and not sound like teenagers. Maybe that will be annoying to the reader. Maybe not.

Anyway, don't forget to drop me a review on your way out! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

"What is your full name?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy"

"Where are you right now?"

"The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, I do not know where it is."

"Where is your wand?"

"In Professor Snape's inner pocket."

"Did the Hippogriff named Buckbeak injure you in third year?"

"No, he only got my sleeve." Draco was surprised to find the truth spilling from his mouth.

"Why have you sought help from the Order of the Phoenix, Mr. Malfoy?"

He inhaled and prepared for the truth to slip out, "I'm tired of the mask. I hate having to pretend to not be affected by the horrors happening in my own family home. I hate having to pretend that I hate anyone who is not pureblooded. They promised me safety, but I was only a child, and did not understand when they said safety they meant at the expense of others. They ordered me to kill a kind old man who even until my godfather killed him, was offering me true safety. Not the kind that comes at the expense of others, but the kind which I have been hoping for my whole life. The kind of safety a mother offers her son," He looked at Molly Weasley, who looked on the verge of tears. "The kind of safety that a friend will offer when you are vulnerable," he looked to Hermione who was stone faced, with no expression. "The kind of safety that doesn't come at the end of a wand, Mr. Potter."

"How did you find out where the Headquarters is, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Last summer Voldemort-" There were several gasps in the room, "Ordered me to kill Dumbledore. Professor Snape was asked by my mother to step in if I could not complete the task, he was bound by a Wizarding Oath. I tried a few different was of killing him, but they failed. I had another mission to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, so the attack on the school could happen. I had fixed the Cabinet and was going to kill Dumbledore, if I completed both, my mother and father would be released from their threatened tortures. If not both, but one, one of them would be killed. If neither task was accomplished, my parents and I would all be killed, Ms. Tonks."

He was interrupted by a gruff voice, "What tortures, boy? …er, Mr. Malfoy."

"I would have been beaten and sliced by my Aunt and Uncle LeStrange, most likely. If not that, then they probably would have hung me from the ceiling and taken turns slicing my legs open and replenishing my blood and doing it again. They also talked about letting me become the pet of the werewolf…" He shuddered, "I don't want to explain what he would have done, Professor Moody."

"Please finish answering my question, Mr. Malfoy," Said Tonks.

"When I was about to kill Dumbledore I found myself unable. He spoke to me, and offered me a choice. He offered me protection from those who would harm me or my family. I was lowering my wand when Professor Snape performed the Killing Curse in my stead. He then led me through the castle, however I do not remember much of it, I was too wrapped up in my own self-loathing to pay attention to where we were going. He told me the address, but I do not remember what he said. He had to shout the address for me, and I arrived here. Ms. Tonks."

"Do you want to get your parents out of the Death Eaters, Mr. Malfoy?" Asked Hermione, softy.

"They have made their choices. They joined voluntarily. They have never tried to help me do anything the Dark Lord ordered me to do. They are hard people when it comes to their quest for power. They seek it from whatever source available. I only sought to protect them from a misguided maybe sense of justice. No, Miss Granger, I do not."

There was a slight murmur in the room, as this was revealed. "Then, Mr. Malfoy, why work so hard to protect them?" Lupin said, sounding concerned.

"They are still humans. They are the only ones who I have the power to save. I can only prevent their deaths not their actions, Professor Lupin." He looked surprised at himself with this statement. "They are cruel, and heartless sometimes, my father has tortured me many times for coming second to Miss Granger, and for not being able to beat Potter, sorry, Mr. Potter in Quiddich, and I am terrified of him, but he does not deserve death for these actions."

"We have time for the final question, Mr. Shacklebolt." Hermione murmured.

"Mr. Malfoy, what is your intention with betraying the Dark Side?" Kingsley asked in his booming voice.

"I want to bring Voldemort to his knees. I want him dead. He is no longer a human to me, and I believe that I can give information relevant to assisting the Order in bringing him down. Harry Potter cannot go into this fight alone, he has to have help from others to succeed. I believe I can be an asset to bringing down the Dark Lord. I will do anything in my power to help the Order succeed in their endeavor of-"

Ron rushed across the room and grabbed Malfoy by his shoulders, he shouted into his face, "Why the fuck would you think anyone will believe you?!"

As the men in the room began to react, Draco replied, "Because Hermione Granger does, and she's the only one who matters."

Ron was pulled back by his father and Professor Lupin, the older men shouting at Ron for his stupidity. Harry and Hermione were the only ones who caught his words. Ron was pulled out of the room.

McGonagall called over the din left in Ron's wake, " **Attention!** " The conversations stopped. "Mr. Malfoy, please remain in your seat. Everyone else, convey your opinions as you see fit to the other members in the dining room as is normal. Vote is in 15 minutes." The members left. Harry paused, catching Hermione's eyes with an unspoken question, she nodded, and he stayed in the room.

Hermione took a steadying breath and looked at Draco. He was blushing slightly. Questions burned in her mind, all clambering for her voice. She felt the air coming out of her nose and made her mind settle. "Mr. Malfoy, as Professor McGonagall said we will vote in 15 minutes. The Veritasium will be in your system for the same amount of time." He looked up at her sharply, she answered before he spoke, "We will not ask you any questions, don't worry. This conversation is only to inform you of what is going to happen in that time period. We are going to leave the room after this conversation, and I will put a very complex spell on the room. No one but me will be allowed entrance into this room. No one knows how to take this spell down except for me, so don't be concerned. Not even an elf can get through the wards I will put up, so don't bother. The vote will take less than 5 minutes, I expect. I will come inform you of the decision."

He nodded his understanding.

She tapped the cup of tea he had brought with him from the dining room with her wand and it refilled. A quick wave brought a tray of sandwiches to the table. "There is a loo just there," she pointed behind him, and he saw the door he had missed previously directly behind his chair.

She nodded to him and walked out the door.

Harry looked at Draco very severely for a full minute before walking after Hermione.

* * *

Harry and Hermione paused before walking down the hall. From an outsiders perspective they almost seemed to be talking, but their lips were not moving. They silently argued about what to do about Ron, using only gestures. Hers were aggressive, his were attempts to calm. She pulled her wand and cast spells at the door next to them, then cast a bubble of Muffliato around them.

"How dare he!" She screamed at Harry.

"I know, Hermione. You know how much he hates Malfoy, it was bound to happen at some point. I don't know what to do about it."

"Malfoy was actually cooperating! Willingly! He wasn't even being is everyday arsehole self! I didn't get a hint of sarcasm since we began speaking! How much does Ron need to be able to change his opinion of a person?!"

"Ron's being childish, I agree; let his parents handle it, Hermione. We have bigger things to worry about at the moment." His voice was strained.

She touched his elbow, "Your scar?"

"No," he answered. "This has been a hard night. Dumbledore…"

"I know. We have to do this Harry. It's what Dumbledore would want."

"This will be difficult for all of us Hermione, not just Ron. I feel like there will be a lot of fighting among everyone. It's no wonder everyone wanted us to stay out of all this business."

She frowned at his words. "What do you think of him after what we learned tonight?" She asked.

He looked at the floor, his brow furrowed in thought. "Well. That's the question, isn't it? His entire personality seems so different, now that he's out of his element. He hasn't had any access to the antidote for Veritasium, and it's not like he could have planned on coming here, and be given it. He's a cold person for saying he wouldn't help his parents-"

Hermione cut him off, "That's solid logic he used there. It seems like they would just turn back to the Dark as soon as they could, by his description of them."

Harry sighed, "Yeah, you're right. But the strongest point I have is that even when Ron attacked him, he didn't attack back. He still answered truthfully. I don't think it was his lack of cronies that made him hold back. I think it was how everyone reacted. Like he was stunned…. Like he'd never seen anyone who didn't owe him something protect him, you know? What d'you reckon he meant by saying you were the only one who mattered?"

"I don't really know. Before it all started he asked if I was in charge here, maybe he thinks I'm the leader?" She was frowning.

Harry looked at her intensely, "It couldn't be…. Something else?"

"What, like he's been pining for me the entire time we've known him? Don't be daft."

Harry studied her for a moment. "I'll vote Aye, what about you?"

"Aye, for me as well." She answered. After a moment, she lifted her wand and took down the Muffliato charm around them and they started to walk. "I wonder what the werewolf would have done to him," she whispered quickly.

"Turned him, I reckon. Lupin told me about how he likes to bite for fun…"

They had reached the door to the dining room. They both sighed before opening it to the chaos within.

* * *

Harry and Hermione walked in to the Dining room to find more members present. Even some of the students were there, although it was slightly puzzling as to why exactly.

Arthur Weasley was in a huddle with Bill, Charlie, Ginny, Molly, Fleur Delacour, Fred and George on one side of the room. Kingsley Shacklebolt was speaking with Professors Slughorn, Lupin, Flitwick, and Sprout. Tonks was speaking to Lee Jordan, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom on another side of the room. Hagrid was speaking with Snape, neither looking too happy with the other. While Dobby, Mundungus Fletcher, and Professor McGonagall were listening to Professor Moody nearby, Ron was morosely sitting on a chair next to the wall with the shrunken table in his hands.

When the door shut behind Hermione and Harry, the conversations halted. Hermione looked at the clock, "Five more minutes until a vote, please continue."

The conversations regained their dull roar as Harry and Hermione separated to join others in their conversation.

Dobby ran over to Harry and greeted him in his high voice, "Mister Harry Potter! It is good to see you!"

"Hullo, Dobby," Harry said as he knelt down to the floor on a knee.

"Is it true the younger Malfoy is in Mister Harry Potter's home?" He asked, with a lowered voice.

"It is Dobby. You have known him before, haven't you?"

"Yes, Mister Harry Potter, sir. He is a strange man."

"How do you mean strange?"

"He is very kind when he is by himself. But when his father is in the room he is very mean to everyone, sir. Dobby doesn't know how to explain it better to Mister Harry Potter."

"Were you his elf, Dobby?"

"No, Mister Harry Potter, I belonged to the Malfoy house, sir."

"And what do you think of his being here, Dobby?"

"It is good for us Dobby thinks, sir. The elder Malfoy tells his son many things when he should not. That barmy old codger is not good at keeping his masters secrets, and Dobby thinks he should iron _his_ hands for his punishment."

Harry chuckled, and gave the elf his thanks while standing back up. Dobby rejoined Mundungus Fletcher, and Professors McGonagall and Moody nearby. Harry went to stand against the wall for a think near Ron.

* * *

Hermione turned from the doorway and joined Hagrid and Snape's discussion.

Snape was saying, "…actions are determined by the outside in this case, it'll serve you well to remember it." As she approached.

"Hullo Hermione!" Hagrid said with a grin. "What are your thoughts on this business, then?"

"It's quite simple really, the boy I knew and disliked so much at school is not the same as the one who was presented to us while he was under the potion's influence. I think the answers he has given us fully support this claim. I am for his joining the Order, and for his being a double agent. When I told him that may be his role here, his exact words were 'Might as well, I've been doin' it my whole life anyway,' and then he apologized for calling me that derogatory term he has used too often."

Hagrid's bushy eyebrows shot up. "Don'tcha think you're trustin' him a bi' too soon?"

She frowned. "I cannot deny what my eyes have seen tonight, nor what I have heard. He seems like he is ready to help us."

Snape looked at her closely, "Does this bleeding heart of yours become bothersome after a while, Miss Granger?"

She smiled thinly at her Potions Master, "Only when it comes to you, Professor."

He glowered at her. She continued, "You have known him his whole life haven't you, Professor? Do you not believe he is being truthful? Have you not reported to us in the past some of the things which he spoke of? Notably his parents threatened status in the inner circles of the Death Eaters, as I recall, sir. He always has been your favorite student, hasn't he? And why is that? Isn't it because the things which have come to light tonight regarding his relationship with his father are not news to you?" Snape's face darkened even further. "I take it from your expression that everything is as correct as I suspected. Do not project your own bleeding heart as you put it as a negative only because it comes from your least favorite student. We are not in school at the moment, how did you put it, it'll serve you well to remember it."

She was angry, and she had no idea why. Her mouth ran away from her. She began to regret the things she had just told him when she was surprised by laughter from Hagrid. Snape looked from Hermione to Hagrid and then- her ears could hardly believe it- he laughed.

"We are indeed not in school, Miss Granger." Hagrid impersonated Snape. Except for the accent, the tone was perfectly bored. Hermione started laughing with them.

Kingsley clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, the room settled down. "I believe we have a vote to get to," He began. "The matter at hand tonight is the initiation of Draco Malfoy into the Order of the Phoenix. Does anyone wish to discuss anything before we take it to the vote?"

Hermione looked immediately to Ron, expecting him to object loudly. His father's hand was resting on his shoulder on one side and his brother Charlie was on his other. Ron looked defeated.

"No?" Kingsley looked surprised. He waved his wand and a charmed counter appeared above his head. Three columns glowed- one for Ayes, one for Nays, and a final column for No Vote. "Alright, then those in favor?"

The ayes were surprisingly loud and the number floating above Kingsley was at 20. Hermione was pleasantly surprised at nearly three-quarters of those in attendance voted yes.

"Those against?" Kingsley asked. Five voices were heard, though as they spoke together, there was no way Hermione could pick out who they were.

"No Vote?" Kingsley said.

Hermione knew Ron whispered, "No Vote," as she could see his lips moving.

The final column stayed at 1.

"The motion is carried, and Mr. Malfoy the Younger shall join our Order shortly." Kingsley decreed, with a nod towards Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Granger, may I speak to you for a moment?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Of course, Professor."

"I know you and Mr. Malfoy have had your problems in the past," Hermione frowned at McGonagall's simplification of the blind hatred Malfoy had always shown her. "However, I believe it may be the wisest move for you and Mr. Potter to go tell Mr. Malfoy the news."

Hermione understood immediately, "Yes, Professor," She answered. She walked away and grabbed Harry, whispering to him, "McGonagall wants us to welcome him in."

Harry answered with a laugh, "She wants us to be his friends, right?"

Hermione smiled and nodded, glad Harry understood as well as she did.

* * *

Hermione and Harry stood outside the room grinning like fools. She looked at the door, and began to take down the complicated wards enclosing Draco in the room. She nudged Harry in the ribs before she reached for the door. She put on a serious face, Harry followed suit.

The door creaked as she opened it. Draco was pacing around the room with a sandwich in his hand. He looked like a mad scientist on the verge of a breakthrough. His face was manic before he could react to their appearance. His mask slid into place as he raised himself to his full height.

He waited. This was their show after all. Harry stepped forward, he put out his hand to Draco, saying, "Draco Malfoy, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Order of the Phoenix."

Draco's stern expression blossomed into a genuine grin at Harry's words. They shook hands.

* * *

A/N: Alright, sorry. I missed last week for this story. I simply forgot. Here's this week's chapter though.

Reviews are welcome! This is an old story, but I really enjoy hearing what people think about the plot/characters!

This story does have some Ron bashing, but I tried really hard to keep it consistent with his character, not just he's a cheater or anything like that, but that he's a hothead and stuff.


	4. Chapter 3

Hermione lifted her face from the Pensive dish. It had been 3 months since Draco had joined the Order. She put the silver thread of memory back into the vial labeled "Draco Malfoy Interview" pondering what she had just seen. She reached for her notebook and began scribbling furiously.

Draco had Flooed Severus who Flooed McGonagall who had finally relayed the message to Hermione earlier that day to inform her that he would have news that night about the Death Eaters moving base. She had wanted to review Malfoy's motivations for joining the Order in case anyone questioned his loyalty. It often happened during the meetings now; someone would question the truth of his reports. If it came up again tonight she would be prepared.

She had a suspicion that Ron was convincing people that Malfoy's reports were incorrect. Ron was known for making rash decisions where Malfoy was concerned.

After the Lavender Brown relationship, it seemed like Ron wanted to be with Hermione. She had a crush on him for so long, it was like a dream come true. She had ended the relationship after the second time they had made love. She thought back to it with disgust. He treated her like a china doll. As though if he put any passion into the act he would certainly hurt her.

Malfoy would never treat me so delicately… she thought, writing about his father absently. She thought about the intervening months between the pensive she just saw and now. There had been many heated arguments between her and Draco- Malfoy, damnit. She stopped writing and looked at the wall, thinking of how his face would change so drastically whenever she contradicted him on anything. His unconscious eyebrow raise whenever she addressed him formally as required during meetings. She wondered if he would want to be called that during … It is not conducive to our working relationship to be thinking of him this way, she berated herself. Stop!

She shook her head, her long curls dancing around her face as she shook herself into a working mindset. I do NOT have a crush on MALFOY!

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Later that evening ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Hermione was mentally preparing herself for the meeting at hand, going over how people reacted to Malfoy being in the room while walking down the hall towards the dining room. She convinced herself that it was because Malfoy always seemed to be the center of arguments and she was merely preparing for the inevitable.

Ron fumed silently whenever Malfoy was in the same house as him. Hermione believed it was mostly because Ron's last attempt to get them together had failed so spectacularly Ron may think Hermione had a crush on Malfoy. Really, Hermione thought of Ron as a lap dog. He was nice to have around sometimes when she was lonely, and would always be loyal to her. She didn't want a lap dog. What she wanted- no, needed- was someone who could challenge her. Who wouldn't fear her rage. When Hermione and Ron argued, Hermione was always the one in control of the conversation. She lectured him, he would sulk and bend to her will, without putting up any fight. The only thing he ever showed real passion for was his jealousy.

She forced herself to stop thinking of these things as she entered the dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place. She saw that the majority of the members required for the meeting were present already. She sat next to Harry with a comfortable smile to him in greeting, he glanced at her while still talking to Tonks and gave her a distracted 'Hullo," between his sentences. Hermione listened for a second, determined they were talking about Lupin's upcoming change, lost interest. She scanned the room, mentally noting who was yet to arrive. Malfoy, Moody, the Weasleys (always late, she thought with a frown), and even Kingsley Shacklebolt was expected to arrive for this one. She allowed herself to slip into thoughts of Draco again.

As though her thoughts conjured him, Malfoy arrived with Moody, the latter still under the effects of Polyjuice potion to make himself look like a tall, thin, and dark-haired man. Both were dressed in their Death Eater attire, and quickly took them off with nearly identical looks of disgust as Hermione watched them enter the room. The masks clattered into a cupboard followed by the robes. They were in the middle of a conversation about lax security measures within the Death Eaters hideout, whichever they had just been to. Hermione caught Draco saying "… My house after all, of course they wouldn't…" before his voice lowered slightly and was lost amongst the other conversations around her.

She continued her train of thought. Malfoy had also quickly become friends with his cousin Tonks, having never really had much time with her as a child. Lupin was slowly learning to trust the young blonde.

Harry was learning to respect Malfoy, but was often outwardly insulting of him. Malfoy had realized the normal contempt was gone early on and took the jabs Harry sent his way with good humor, and insulted him back. Their insults revolved around their own actions, never their families. It was interesting to see, really, Harry hated the elder Malfoy, but when Draco was in the room would carefully avoid the topic. They would insult each other's seeker techniques, grades, friends, etc. always with an air of humor, and they often laughed at the insults the other would throw at them. Ron never seemed to notice they were not being serious and would often scowl at Malfoy whenever he spoke to Harry.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley surprised everyone by openly accepting the boy. This caused Ron to dislike Malfoy even more than he had previously. Ron's insecurities about his accomplishments and importance in the lives of others seemed to Hermione to be the reason for this dislike. Predictable was the word which often followed this train of thought in Hermione's head.

The arrival of the Weasleys interrupted her thoughts, as everyone stopped their conversations to greet the redheads. Molly asked in general if anyone needed something to eat as she walked into the room. After a general consensus of yes she walked around kissing everyone on the forehead while greeting them.

When she got to Hermione, she asked how the younger girl was faring alone in the house. "Fine, Mrs. Weasley, just lonely. Do you need help in the kitchen?"

"No, no, dear. No need, enjoy the company while it lasts."

Molly came to Draco who wrapped his long arms around the plump woman and kissed the crown of her head. "What a wonderful sight you are, Mrs. Weasley," he said as he hugged her.

"Ah, Draco, you only love me for my food," she jested before moving on to the door to the kitchen.

Malfoy smirked as she went. The room began conversations anew, Ron stood behind Tonks and joined in the conversation with her and Harry, Arthur stood by Draco and Moody, talking about whatever security measures were lacking. Moody began to change into his normal form as they spoke. Ginny sat in one of the chairs near Harry, and listened attentively to Harry as he told some story Hermione didn't listen to.

Kingsley showed up last, with Lupin much to Tonks' delight, just as Molly was levitating the meal into the room. All sat and began to tuck in. There were animated conversations all around her, but Hermione was again thinking of Draco.

Hermione's… subconscious lusted after him. She dreamed of him nearly every night. His haughty expressions, and that damn smirk, those piercing eyes, all of the private moments between them fed into her lustful dreams of what they might be like… if things could have been different.

The conversations around her surged onward, Hermione barely listened other to allow her mind to snag on relevant topics. Outwardly, she seemed to be paying attention, she laughed when everyone else did, and she followed the conversation with her eyes, looking at each speaker. It was not hard to hide what she was thinking, not when one had been doing these tricks for so long.

Inwardly, she thought about the dream she'd had that morning. In the dream, Draco's lips were slowly caressing her inner thighs working their way towards her core, his fingers already pumping within her. She had woken, overheated and panting in need. Her own dreamed moans were more interesting that these boring conversations around her.

Draco was speaking, her eyes were upon him, and he glanced at her as he finished a joke, his smirk pointed directly at her. She laughed, only because everyone else did, she had no idea what he had just said.

After dinner was cleared, Hermione cleared her mind. She stood. "Alright everyone, let's get down to business. Reports on the Death Eaters suggest they are growing overconfident. Several of them have even been spotted during raids and as reported to us, are not bothering to cover their faces any longer. With Dumbledore gone, they seem to think they have no reason to be afraid. Professor Moody or Mr. Malfoy, I believe you have information related to this topic, if either of you would like to tell us what new developments you have to offer."

Draco stood as Hermione sat. She conjured a piece of parchment and prepared herself to note things of import. "Thank you, Miss Granger. We do have some issues to discuss. During the most recent Death Eater meeting, there were a surprising number of security flaws. Moody was disguised as a complete stranger, and no one questioned it. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named only cares about the capture of one Boy-Who-Lived, and other than that has handed over all security to the Lestrange's. The orders for the raids seem to be coming from the whims of whoever can make a pretty speech, and the strategy which we had previously been worried about has not been mentioned in recent days."

She lifted her quill slightly pointing the tip of the feather at him, "You mean the one in regards to the giants?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, I do." His gaze matched hers perfectly, both businesslike masks.

"That does seem troubling. Please continue, Mr. Malfoy."

"I also would like to inform you all that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named will soon be travelling from my family's Manor to a summer home soon. The dungeons are being emptied, and I have instructed the elves to try to save as many as they can without endangering themselves. I have been informed that there is a small herd of centaurs, some hippogriffs and a few Muggle children who are being held captive, which the elves think they may be able to release without arousing suspicion. At this time, I will ask Mr. Potter if 12 Grimmauld Place will have a room available to tend to the children at least before we return them to their families?"

Harry looked troubled. "Muggle children, you said?"

"I did, indeed, Mr. Potter." Draco's eyebrow rose.

"How would we know where their families are?" Harry asked the room.

Shacklebolt stood, leaning over the table slightly to be able to look Harry in the eye as he spoke, "We have records I can access without leaving trace which show the reports of Muggle children who have been reported missing in or around the areas of Death Eater attacks. I keep them in my office at the ministry, in case we find some Muggle children."

Harry smiled, "Good thinking, Kingsley." He turned to Hermione, saw she was frowning at him, remembered what he did wrong, and said to Kingsley, "Beg pardon, Mr. Shacklebolt, I addressed you incorrectly." Kingsley nodded with a grin. Harry turned back to Hermione and said, "Would it be too difficult on you to care for Muggle children on your own, Miss Granger?"

Before she could answer, Draco again spoke, "I apologize, Miss Granger, for the interruption, but I would gladly help if you need it."

Mrs. Weasley also piped up, "I will also assist you Miss Granger, should you need any assistance."

Hermione smiled. "Yes, I believe I can manage the children with the help of Mr. Malfoy and Mrs. Weasley, as they have so graciously offered."

"Very well, with some assistance on the proper charms, I believe we may be able to help all the members of the dungeon evacuees. Mr. Malfoy, when can we begin to expect arrivals?"

"The move of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named should be occurring within 4 days, and the elves suspect these children and magical creatures specifically have been forgotten in the haste to move. I believe my personal servant will better answer the question if I may be allowed to summon her?" He asked politely.

Hermione looked to see if there was any face present which seemed to say no. Ron was the one specifically she expected to deny the request, but he seemed to not be paying attention to the conversation at all. "As there seems to be no one opposed to the idea, Mr. Malfoy, please call her."

"Abeille," Draco said with a snap of his fingers. The elf popped onto the floor below the table.

"Master Malfoy," She said softly.

"Abeille, will you please stand on the table so everyone may see you?" Draco asked kindly.

"Yes, Master Malfoy," They heard two quick pops, and she stood on the table in front of him facing away from him. Hermione was surprised to see she was wearing a dark green shift and a small purple hat between her ears. On her feet were garish yellow polka-dotted socks.

"Now, Abeille, please tell us when and how you and the other elves think you will be able to move the magical creatures and Muggle children from the dungeons."

"Abeille and the other elveses thinks we can move them the afternoon after the evil man leaves. Hes thinks they are dead already from starving, but three elveses has been caring for them in secret. Abeille only trusts two other elveses in the Master's Manor, Pivoine and Triste. Theys are Master Malfoy's other secret free elveses."

Hermione was astonished that Malfoy had not just one free elf, but three that he kept in secret. She made a mental note to ask him about it one day. "Abeille, will you answer a few questions for me?" She asked the little elf.

"If Master Malfoy thinks its ok for Abeille to answers then she will Miss."

"Abeille, this is Miss Granger, you may answer her questions fully and without reservation. There are no secrets from Miss Granger, understand?" Draco said with great gentleness.

Everyone in the room looked surprised at what Malfoy had said, none more so than the little elf in question who turned and stared at him in surprise. "Miss Granger?"

"You know who I am Abeille?" Hermione asked.

"Master Malfoy has spoke of you often," The elf said as she turned back slowly to face Hermione. She bowed and said, "But Abeille don't thinks that's what you want to ask her," With a smile.

The room chuckled at the brazenness of the little elf on the table. Hermione grinned at the cheeky remark, and answered, "You're right Abeille, I was just surprised. Ok, how long have you been a free elf?"

"Abeille has been free for 2 years. Master Malfoy gave her a hat," She patted the purple hat on her head, "and tolds me Abeille was a good elf for his whole life. He said Abeille could leave if she wanted, but he would miss his favorite elf," Her large eyes filled with tears at the memory. "But Abeille says 'No! Abeille loves her master! Abeille will do anything he needs! Abeille will keep all his secrets!'" She started sniffling and practically wailed out the last bit through her tears, "Master Malfoy is the kindest Master any Elf ever had! Abeille would die if she were away from him!"

Draco's hand took hers from behind, his face showing so much more emotion than Hermione had ever seen on it. His mask was completely gone from his aristocratic features, and even he looked on the verge of tears from the elf's outburst. Abeille turned and kissed his hand while she settled her tears. Hermione could see him murmuring to the elf, trying to calm her, Hermione was sure. Hermione glanced at the people in the room, seeing that they were all deeply moved by the situation before them. Even Ron's face showed a little sympathy for the little elf.

Abeille wiped her face on a handkerchief she got from Arthur Weasley, seated to Draco's left. "Abeille sorry, Miss Granger. All better now." She took the handkerchief from her face, snapped her fingers to clean it and handed it back to Mr. Weasley, with quiet thanks.

"Abeille, do the other people who live in the Malfoy Manor know you and the other two are there?" Hermione asked gently, unsure of how the elf would respond.

"No, Miss Granger, Abeille, Pivoine, and Triste stays secret. We live in Master Malfoy's secret room."

"What will you do when the creatures and Muggles are moved here?"

"Abeille, Pivoine, and Triste can stay at the manor if Master Malfoy doesn't want us to live with him anymore." She said sadly.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you leaving the Manor?" Harry asked from Hermione's left.

"When He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named moves, with my father in prison and my mother missing, I had intended to ask if I might stay here until school starts again. Abeille is skipping past the asking stage is all." His tone was bemused. "So I will not. Mr. Potter, and all other Order Members, may I come live here for a period of time which has not exactly been determined?"

Harry smiled slightly, "Vote, then, Miss Granger?"

Hermione said, "Yes, Mr. Potter. Ayes?" Everyone except Ron voted 'Aye'. She asked, "Nays?" Ron angrily raised his hand, his face red from suppressed rage. "The aye's have it. Mr. Malfoy, you may move in once He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named moves and with the creatures. The elves are welcome also, if you desire them here. They can help with the creatures soon to move in."

"Very well. Abeille, go back to the secret room and tell Pivoine and Triste the plan. Make sure that it is kept a secret from everyone, even the children and creatures you have been caring for. They are not safe yet and must not know what is coming. Also, before transporting them, be sure to check them all for any potential spells or potions that someone might use to hide among them. This includes any form of trace. This place is an absolute secret. You do not need to tell Pivoine and Triste where you went exactly. All three of you will move here along with the captives, got it?"

"Abeille got it. Thank you Master." She bowed and then popped out of the room.

Hermione stood. "Any other business for tonight?"

Ron raised many loud objections to Draco staying with Hermione, and was hexed silent by Moody. "Boy, if you cannot follow some simple rules concerning decency, you're not allowed to speak."

"On that note, meeting adjourned." Hermione said as she stood and began to gather her things.

Malfoy sauntered up to her, "Can I talk to you, Granger?"

She glanced up at him, "Yes, I have to run to the library, can you walk and talk?"

His eyebrow raised and he smirked at her, "Believe it or not, Granger, I am capable of doing more than one thing at a time."

She rolled her eyes as she turned towards the door. "That certainly is a surprise." She said.

"Do you mean it is within the realm of possibility for little Miss Granger to not know something?" He asked with mock astonishment.

She paused with her hand on the door and looked at him before answering, "Yes. Now were you just going to follow me around and be sarcastic, or do you actually have something on your mind?"

He bowed slightly and held his hand towards the door indicating she should precede him into the hall. She opened the door and walked out, trying to not be angry at him.

"Just playing the part, Granger. I do have a reputation to uphold. Plus, there is the added benefit of you having to lie to your boyfriend-" He spat this word out like it disgusted him, "About how much you dislike me."

"Hmm… fishing for complements and trying to trick me into giving you information. That was far too see-through for a double agent. I hope you don't lead conversations like this around the Death Eaters."

"You forgot the power-play at the beginning, Granger. Your distractions are making you slow."

"I'll take that under advisement. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

They had reached the library, located at the back of the house. It was a stuffy and overly warm room with tons of books and only one chair. When Hermione moved into the house, she had spent a sweaty morning trying to move the dusty chair to be next to the window, but she wasn't strong enough and so had to leave it in the middle of the floor.

This room was not one which she could use magic in. It was filled with all sorts of books from all over the world, and no one knew if any of them had curses on them. No one even knew what kind of wards and spells might be in the room. She just dealt with it and complained about it in her head whenever she went into the room.

"This is a Black house, right?" He asked after looking around.

She looked at him for a second and said, "Yes, Why?"

"De pulverem, fenestrae apertae, ventulus." He said with a hand gesture.

The dust in the room vanished, the windows she had thought were nailed shut opened, and there was suddenly a breeze in the room. She looked at him with astonishment.

"My mother is a member of the Black family. Sirius couldn't do anything in this room since he was disowned. Tonks is probably in the same boat if she ever tried it." He had that bored look on his face and an equally bored tone of voice while he said this.

"Thanks," She whispered.

He shrugged. "Now to business. Only one chair? Do you mind another?"

She waved her hand as if to say 'Do what you want', as she sat down.

"If we are to live in the same house, I think it may be beneficial to discuss some things first." He looked like he was trying to remember something, "Oh, that's it, cathedra," he waved his hand again. A leather armchair popped up next to him. He sat while unbuttoning his jacket.

She waited for him to sit before saying, "Is this the part where you tell me when you demand your breakfast at 9 A.M. and tell me how you like your coffee?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.

He smirked, "No, the elves will attend to that. Before you start giving me a lecture on their proper respect and all that bullocks, they do it because they love me and because I pay them. I was thinking smaller things. But before that, did Sirius leave Potter the house?"

"Yes."

"How do you get your mail?"

"It's sent to the Burrow, the Weasley household, and they bring it with them when they come to the meetings."

"I suppose I'll do the same with Severus."

"Will no one think it's odd you're staying with him?" She tried to remember where Snape lived during the summer and couldn't.

"No, he is my godfather, it would be appropriate."

"Why are you not actually staying with him? And why are you not staying at your family's castle?"

"Manor, and because I'm not head of household yet. The house doesn't recognize me the way it does my father. The wards track my movements, including apparition. I have to side-along when I come here. We were lucky my father wasn't arrested before, or the snake-face would know where we are now."

She thought for a moment, ignoring his evasion of her first question, "You mean, when your father is not in the Manor, the wards track you?"

"Not quite. Part of the process of the head of a household going to Azkaban is their heir has to be found at a moment's notice. The wards of the household are activated by a spell and the heir is tracked from that point forward. The loophole is that side-along apparition can't be traced by this."

"So you're trying to figure out how to get in and out of here without anyone being able to track you?"

"Indeed, Miss Granger, 10 points to Gryffindor." He said sarcastically.

She smiled wryly, "OK, so Portkey, Elf transport, broomstick, all out of the question because it's noticeably different from what you were doing previously?"

He leaned forward slightly, "Yes." He said simply, but there was certain intensity on his face as he said it.

"And of course the Floo is out of the question…" She continued, thinking aloud.

"Indeed."

"What about breaking the trace, how would that happen?" She asked.

"Two ways, from what I know. Disinheriting and … My father being released from prison." He finished.

"Well, the first would not be a good action… How long is your father in for?"

"75 years." He answered.

"Wait. I've just thought of something!" She bounded out of her chair and down one of the library's aisles. She came back with a thick book in her hand and was flipping through the pages quickly. "I know it's here somewhere…" She was muttering to herself. "Oh here! Look," she handed him the book, leaning over his shoulder to point to the page. She suddenly became aware of his scent, and stepped back.

He read slowly, "An heir may object to the trace in the case of extreme circumstances, or if the father's actions have put him at risk…" He looked at Hermione with surprise. "Where…?"

"Oh, I was bored, so I started reading." She stepped back to his shoulder and flipped the cover back over, "Black Family Contractual Agreements. I think the one you are reading was the contract between your parents." She gingerly flipped the book back open and turned a few pages back to the first page of the contract. "Yep. Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. I think you can even be put into your godfather's care if they are missing, and the trace is nullified. There's your reason for staying with Snape, you're just following the rules." She stepped back to her chair and sat back down, looking smug.

Draco was still astonished. "You…" He seemed at a loss for words, and Hermione covered her grin.

"Yes, Malfoy. Me…?"

His face changed quickly, his regular smug look took over his astonishment, "You have just proven how much of a geek you are. Who gets bored and starts reading contracts?"

"Oh, no Malfoy, you don't get off that easy, say 'thank you' and be on your way with your knowledge of my brilliance."

"Bollocks. You got lucky, admit it."

"Yes I did, now thank me for it."

He stood and turned, the book still in his hands, "Later, Granger." He called over his shoulder as he left the library.

She scowled at the door.

A/N: The elves names are French- Abeille is 'Bee', Pivoine is 'Peony', and Triste is 'Sad' (in English we would say someone feels blue, and it's that kind of sad). Just made up names, you know? Anyway, is anyone picking up on how much I don't like Ron yet? I really don't like him.

The Latin phrases are- de pulverem- dust out, fenestrae apertae- windows open, ventulus- breeze, and cathedra- armchair

The stiffness in meetings bugged me, but I'm trying to keep this story as accurate to my original intention as possible. There's a point to it, but I just don't like how I went about it. Remember, this is my first major fanfiction I ever finished. So it is a bit... Rough. Imperfect. Grandiose. All of that.


	5. Chapter 4

The meeting had ended and Harry, Lupin, Hermione, and Malfoy were in the library dissecting the contract. A table held the Contracts of the Black Family book, opened to the Lucius and Narcissa contract. Hermione was on one side with Lupin and Harry crowded next to her. Draco was seated in his leather armchair drinking a cup of tea, as the trio wouldn't let him see the blasted contract just by standing so closely to each other.

"Here it says Lucius can enter any House of Black, what an audacious phrase…" Lupin was muttering.

"Right, but only with cause," Hermione muttered back pointing into the book.

"And only with permission from the owner if that owner is no longer a member of the audacious House of Black," Malfoy sneered from his chair.

"Well said," Hermione said blandly.

Harry asked, "So, he needs my permission to enter the premises?"

"Well, that's where it gets tricky, Harry, owner in this case might be me also." Hermione said standing and stretching.

Draco was watching her stretch her arms above her head with her eyes closed, Harry and Lupin were still pouring over the book. He allowed himself to admire her slim waist and broad hips, before catching himself and looking away before he was caught.

"But it's not your property, Hermione." Harry answered after a moment of re-reading the clauses.

"She lives here, so it is considered at least partly her property." Malfoy said over the rim of his teacup.

"And what would you know of it Malfoy? You've never studied law, or anything else for that matter…" Harry said absently.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Potter? My grades disturbing you again? Don't think it possible for me to understand a contract better than you?"

"Hmph, not better than me," Hermione crossed her arms, looking ready to fight.

"I know that Granger, I've often been reminded of it, as you know." He was smirking at her watching a blush rise to her cheeks.

"Malfoy, I…" She looked very sorry, then thought better of it. "Don't use your father as a trump card. Shame on you. I almost felt sorry for you!" She started to walk out of the room.

Malfoy caught her arm, she looked down at him with fear in her eyes. Fear and fury. His eyes were dark, his tone menacing, "I meant by our professors, Granger. Go have a pout if it makes you feel better. But remember, that is privileged information you just brought up, and I'd thank you to not do so again."

She slammed the door behind her as she left.

Lupin spoke first, "You'll want to apologize for that."

"I already do." He set his cup down. "But she'll need time to cool down before I attempt it. Else I may come limping back and bleeding from various places."

Harry looked between the two, astonished. "Is this what Ron and I sound like when we piss her off?" He asked the room.

Lupin chuckled, "I'd imagine."

"So he needs either you or her permission to search the house. What about if no one else is present?" Malfoy asked.

They heard a scream from down the hall and all three ran to the door. Malfoy reached it first, flinging it open to reveal the manic face of his mother grinning over Hermione's bare shoulder. Her wand was pushed into her slim neck. His quick assessment of the situation was that his mother had gone insane. Her face looked as if she had aged 30 years since he had last seen her. Her hair was unbound and unwashed. She was wearing a shift which was an off-white color from not having been washed. Gone were the rings and jewelry which denoted her highborn status, even her wedding band.

Her once beautiful face was contorted in rage. She screamed, "You thought you could hide this from me? The Dark Lord will finally give us our just rewards for bringing in these three. Grab Potter, Draco, and let's go get our glory from the Dark Lord." She hissed, the last, reminding Draco of his Aunt Bellatrix.

"No!" His face full of fear, "Mother, I'm a traitor! Take me with you and let her go!" He said forcefully, taking slow steps towards the deranged witch.

"A traitor? Not my Draco. You know your place, you've just manipulated them into believing you're one of them. My son would never betray his father. Come on! Grab the boy! Let's go!"

"No, mother, let her go. Let's talk about this. I'll tell you everything I know and the Dark Lord will give you many rewards for your loyalty." His life was at stake, her life was more important. If he could just get that wand pointed another direction, he might be able to save her…

Hermione was shaking her head, mouthing NO! NO! over and over again.

"My loyalty? In the situation, my loyalty will be questioned as well! Don't you know Draco? They'll kill me for your dishonesty!" Her grip loosened, her voice dropped. "I will be tortured," her wand dropped slightly. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said, "I'll be raped."

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Was shouted from behind Draco as soon as the wand pointed at the wall.

The spell flying over his shoulder triggered Draco to begin taking large steps toward his mother. Narcissa's wand flew out of her pale fingers before she could begin to react. Hermione jerked herself out of her grasp, and Draco caught her as she tripped on the rug below her feet. He righted her and grabbed his mother.

"To think I tried to protect you! You are a vile woman! The things you watched them do to me! And for what? To protect your own fucking virtue?!" He was shaking her and screaming in her face. His hands felt strong enough to crush her tiny arm bones in his rage. Hermione gasped behind him and his voice became a whisper, "You don't deserve any less than what they would have done to you."

Narcissa began to cry as Harry showed up at Draco's elbow. "Let her go. We have to do something with her, but let her go now."

Draco let go of his mother's arms and she sank bonelessly to the ground. Her tears stopped and her face went blank. Harry whispered an incantation and pointed his wand, she became bound and gagged in ropes.

Draco turned to Hermione and gently touched her shoulder, "Are you ok?" His voice concerned and brow furrowed.

She had tears on her face as she looked up at him with gratitude. "I am now. Thank you."

He turned to Lupin, prepared to accept his screaming, his triumphant 'I told you so's but Lupin looked sadly at his former student. "Where has she been, Draco?"

"In a sanitarium. Without my father to stake his claim… she would have been… everything she said that would happen… because of my disloyalty…" He answered haltingly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lupin asked, the same sad expression on his face.

"Why would I tell you?" Draco answered, kneeling to his mothers' vacant face. "You don't have reasons to believe me. But I… I couldn't just leave her behind. I sent her to live with Muggles who would think her schizophrenic. She could be safe there… I thought."

"How did she get in, Malfoy?" Harry asked, his voice betraying his rage.

"She's still a member of the Black family. She was not any of our concern, she was locked up. I don't even know how she got a wand. We may as well ask if scared little scar-heads can defeat snake obsessed madmen. No one knows."

Harry stepped forward as if to attack Malfoy, but Lupin's hand on his chest stopped him. An indecipherable look passed between the student and teacher. "Right, Could it be her that you heard rumor of, Professor?" Harry asked as he put away his wand. He was taking deep breaths while Lupin was answering his question, Draco was sure it was his way of calming his misdirected anger.

"Possibly. I only heard of the Malfoy part while I was in the woods. 'Malfoy is back' was exactly what I heard, as you remember from the meeting. But the rabbit which bolted at my scent stopped whatever would have come afterward."

"What shall we do with her?" Hermione asked softly. Her face was pale from her fright still, and she was holding her hand over her heart.

"Contact Madam Pomfry? She might help us locate a safe place for her at least. One where she won't be found by the Death Eaters?" Harry suggested.

"I agree." Lupin added.

"As do I," Draco sighed as he stood again. "Come to the kitchen, Granger, let's get you some tea."

"I'll Floo Pomfry, and see what she can do." Lupin said, his expression still sad.

Harry looked at the clock behind Draco, "I'll need to get back shortly, will you be alright, Hermione?"

"Yes," She nodded and left the hall.

Lupin levitated Narcissa and took her to be taken with him, she still seemed to be comatose. "Before you go to your Aunt and Uncle's house, Harry, will you help me with her?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry said, locking eyes with Malfoy. "Take care of her, Malfoy."

"I will." He said. His was voice sincere, his face marred by a frown. "Take care of her," he said with a nod toward his mother.

Harry nodded.

* * *

Hermione was seated at the breakfast table when Draco entered the kitchen. She seemed so small perched on such a tall chair. She glanced at him with her hand propping up her chin. After an uncomfortable second, she looked resolutely at the calendar tacked to the wall. She may have thought she looked normal, but the calendar was from 1877 and was currently showing December. He smirked as he placed the kettle was on the stove- thinking her emotions so easy to read- when he heard her sobbing softly behind him.

He hesitated. He thought she needed comfort this time. So he padded softly to the side of her chair. She was turned away from him. "Hermione?" He asked, "Look at me." She made no response. He turned the chair so she was facing him.

Her face was covered by her hands, her hair pulled out of its tie on the far side of her face. She was shaking violently. He put an arm around her shoulder saying, "Hermione?" She jumped and tried to turn away from him. "Hermione, come here." His voice was half order, half comforting. She turned toward his presence. He pulled her small body towards him, she trying to fight it, finally relented and allowed him to hug her. He tucked her head under his chin and began to say softly, "Shh, that's it, just let it out," He used the same words Molly used to comfort him, they had worked for him, it should work for her, right? Apparently it did.

Her hands suddenly came around his body and she hugged him fiercely. "How? How did you ever survive in that world?" She sobbed.

"I pretended it didn't bother me. If anyone sees how something bothers you, they can use it against you. Anyone who knows another's weaknesses can use it against them." It was past time for him to talk to someone about his life before here. "My father taught me that as a child. It was the first in a great many hard lessons."

Her sobbing had begun to ebb as he spoke. "You know, I always figured it was bad, but…" she sniffled. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her, without backing away from her.

She took a moment to wipe her face, cleaned it with her wand and handed it back awkwardly because he still held her. "Why did you tell her you were a traitor?" She asked into his shoulder.

"Because she has a weakness and I exploited it."

"That weakness is…?"

He pulled back slightly and looked at her in the face but left his hands on her shoulders. "She's a terrible judge of character when it comes to me. She thinks I'm still 7 years old and blindly obsessed with my father's approval."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her eyes still looking into his.

"For what?" He was confused, but still took the opportunity to slide his fingers up the side of her neck. She apparently didn't notice. Too worried about not having me think her a lesser being for crying, he thought.

"Crying… I think it's adrenaline or something…. I…"

His fingers on her lips stopped her words. He watched himself gently trace her soft skin with his fingertip as he whispered, "You are allowed to be vulnerable, Hermione." He moved his fingers and started to cautiously lean in for a kiss, checking her reactions in case he was overstepping his bounds. "You're allowed to be emotional from time," an inch was left between them, "To," half an inch, "Time" The tea kettle began to whistle and she jumped, pulling back.

He sighed and stood, feeling rejected. She sat stock-still, her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, when he looked down. She did not meet his gaze, so he went to get the blasted tea.

He brought it back and she was unmoved. He set the cup in front of her and began to walk out of the room when she quietly said, "Draco?"

He turned with a questioning look on his face. His heart was hammering in his chest at her choice of address.

She stood and took the three steps to where he waited. She reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him down to her level. The heat between them was tangible, but he let her have control over this one. Just this one, he thought, watching her lean closer. She lightly pecked his cheek and grinned, "Thanks for the tea," and walked out of the room, teacup in hand.

Draco stood there stunned. He stood straight again after a moment, his mind was completely blank. He heard a door close upstairs. He still stood, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. He'd rescued the damsel in distress, shouldn't he have gotten a kiss for that? A real kiss, anyway… Not some damn kiss on the cheek. He sighed and rubbed his face. He realized suddenly that he had not slept in at least forty hours, maybe he'd made a rash decision due to sleep deprivation. Or maybe he had hallucinated the whole thing?

He pushed it from his mind and resolved to go to bed. Where is my bed? He thought dumbly. No one had told him which room was his. Nor where the bathroom was. How was he supposed to bathe? He couldn't go after Granger and ask her, not after that little performance she'd put on. Well, I could but things might get out of hand… he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs. He frowned. This was a Black House… The doors would have names on them, wouldn't they? He studied the first door on the second level and found the nameplate above the doorknob. It read: Bath.

One problem solved. He opened the door to see the room. A grand tub sunk into the floor, he watched the tiles on the steps moving in an intricate pattern for a moment. He closed the door and considered the hallway he was in. The first door on the left was a white door, the second a blue one. On the right, the bath was a green door and the second was black. He thought the white one would probably be Granger's and the black his. Unless, his room was on the third floor… He examined the nameplates as he walked past, the white one read Hermione, the blue one was blank and the black one, as expected said Draco.

He opened his door and noted the dark leather bound armchairs in the sitting area, green upholstery, and already glowing fireplace in front of the armchairs. He looked into the closet and saw Abeille and Triste had already placed his belongings where they belonged. He turned back to the bed and decided he didn't like the size of the bed. It was only a double, and Draco preferred a king to make sure he had enough room for his long body. He snapped his fingers and called, "Abeille."

* * *

Draco was freshly bathed and dressed only in his silk pajama bottoms, lounging on top of his bed. His recently resized bed in his recently resized room. He had charmed a few Muggle pieces of technology so he might have some soft music playing as he waited for sleep to claim him, but the wait was longer than it should be.

He was considering his situation. The Order seemed like the best option at the time, but maybe he should have gone with Blaise to neutral territory. Or gone on the run alone. Even America was supposed to be a neutral country when it came to all this madness brought on by that snake. He had some family living off 'oil money' in Texas; he probably could have done well there.

The only thing which had kept him in England was the little witch who he was trying desperately not to think about. Should mentally label her like Snake-man, he thought wryly, She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Thought-About. He shut his eyes, seeing her face again. Damn he opened them again. She cried over my life. Not even I've done that much. I wonder if she'll ever ask about it. We'll be alone a lot… Stopthinkingabouther! He turned onto his side with a groan of frustration. No, think about anything else… The music! Think about the lyrics! He listened to the song on the stereo.

Oh, no, I see

A spider web, it's tangled up with me,

And I lost my head,

The thought of all the stupid things I'd said,

Oh, no, what's this?

A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,

So I turned to run,

The thought of all the stupid things I've done,

And I never meant to cause you trouble,

And I never meant to do you wrong,

And I, well, if I ever caused you trouble,

Oh no, I never meant to do you harm.

Oh, no, I see

A spider web, and it's me in the middle,

So I twist and turn,

Here am I in my little bubble,

Singing out...

I never meant to cause you trouble,

And I never meant to do you wrong,

And I, well, if I ever caused you trouble,

Oh, no, I never meant to do you harm.

Draco drifted off with unnoticed tears on his cheeks, marveling at the simple lyrics of the sad man coming from the radio.

The sun was still down when he woke from a nightmare. He must have screamed as he woke. His terror was still very real. His wand was in his hand although he did not remember grabbing it. He whispered "Lumos," into the darkness around him, trying to stave off the feeling that someone was present who shouldn't be. There was no one in his room.

Just before he was going to say 'Nox,' he thought he heard something from downstairs. He suddenly felt very much like the child Lupin had accused him of being earlier that evening. "Scared of the dark? Never, you're a Malfoy, Malfoy's aren't afraid of anything… except maybe their deranged fathers who might possibly be inside the house and ready to murder its' occupants…" He muttered as he stood and crossed the room. He took a deep breath before whispering "Nox," and opening the door as silently as he could. He listened at the door while waiting for his eyes to readjust to the darkness.

 _Shhhhk_ , he heard from downstairs. It wasn't a human voice… _Cht_ he heard it again. Something being dragged. No, moved, don't jump to specific adjectives until you know what it is, he reprimanded himself. He began stepping slowly down the hall, trying to remember if anything had made any noise when he'd been up earlier. He took the stairs slowly. He was beginning to think it was nothing and he was acting foolishly when he heard it again, _Shht_. It sounded like it was coming from the Dining Hall. Was it sniffling? It could be.

He looked at the bottom of the door to see if the light was on. It wasn't. He could feel adrenaline coursing through his body. He was fighting the urge to run as he walked over to the door. _Kshhht_ he heard again. Was it paper ripping? He took a deep breath and held it while he pressed his ear to the door. He couldn't hear anything. He took another deep breath. He put his hand on the door handle, gripping his wand tightly in his other hand. He debated calling out in case it was Hermione, decided not to, in case it was his father. He turned the handle slowly.

He pushed the door open quickly, calling out, "Lumos!" while looking into the now bright room. His eyes were opened wide and he was ready for battle as he took in the scene before him.

Sitting on the table was Crookshanks. Under his paw was a dead mouse, and on his face was surprise. He jumped off the table and darted past Draco's feet. "Fucking cat," He muttered as he considered the mouse. His eyes opened wide again as he hatched a plan.

He cleaned up the mouse and went back to bed, chuckling at his own brilliance. Tomorrow I can set this in motion. He thought as he curled into his recently resized bed in his recently resized room.

* * *

A/N: Short chapter, I know… The song is "Trouble" by Coldplay, I am not making any money from using the lyrics, and it is only used as an insight into the character.


	6. Chapter 5

The morning dawned on a foggy piece of land which simple creatures often referred to as London. In one hidden doorway on one unimportant street a tall man stood considering a door. His blonde hair was long and unbrushed, he leaned heavily on a wooden staff- which may have recently been a fallen tree branch discovered in the woods between his present location and his former prison. His face held the hollowness of starvation, but his eyes glittered as only a sane man's could as he examined the door before him. He raised his staff and used it to knock on the number plate above the window of the door.

When the door was opened, he greeted the owner of the house in his normal drawl, "Severus, I've come to pay a visit to my son."

* * *

Hermione was in the kitchen preparing her coffee. It was just before sunrise and she was still half asleep. Her cami hugged to her curves and her sleep pants were two sizes too big. Her hair was in its normal bun. Her eyes were swollen from the crying she had done the evening previous.

The coffee machine began its gurgling and she looked in the pantry for a cup. "Where are the coffee mugs?" She muttered. Behind her she heard a clink. She turned, and there was a mug sitting next to the coffee machine. She raised an eyebrow. "I'll need a spoon too." She said quietly. A spoon appeared in the mug. "Thanks. Abeille?" Abeille appeared. "Could I have one of those scones from the other day?"

"Yes, Miss Granger," Abeille said in her squeaky voice. "Does you need anything else?"

"No, Abeille. Thanks."

Abeille bowed and popped out of sight. A plate with a scone appeared next to the coffee machine. She made her coffee and carried it and the scone to the library with her journal under her arm. She settled on the Chaise and pulled the pen out of her bun, her hair tumbling over her shoulders. She sipped the coffee, deep in thought not yet writing. She finished her cup and then began to write in the journal opened on her knees.

 _June 3, 1998_

 _First night with Malfoy did not go well. Narcissa Malfoy held me hostage. Draco Malfoy 'rescued' me, I'm sure he thinks. Probably why he lent in for a kiss… after I cried in front of him. Dammit. Now he has information he can taunt me with whenever he so chooses. Two different kinds. He talked about his father, though, teaching him about exploiting weaknesses. Surprised me, that's for sure. The good news is that I have some weaknesses of his which I can throw back at him whenever he decides to taunt me with what happened last night. He denies it, but he still loves his mother. His father, though… I wonder about his feelings towards that man. Lupin has been acting strangely around Malfoy, also. They seemed much too eager to change the subject when I walked into the Library after my nap. I wonder what they were talking about. And then, the audacious prat had the nerve to chastise me for bringing up something from his interview. The people present were at the damn interview, what does it matter anyway? His hand hurt my wrist slightly… Does everything have to always revolve around him? Merlin, I can't even get away from him here!_

 _No, it's better if I write it out, then I won't think about him as much. He lives here now, my subconscious may have a crush on his body, but my conscious mind has few positive things to say about him. His sarcasm and wit are mostly annoying. I think it's the only way he can let his intelligence show. Though, last night he mentioned the way his father taught him to view weakness, as an exploitable piece of information. The sarcastic remarks could be a way for him to pretend to be aloof about some things. This should be looked at. His emotionless façade makes finding his weaknesses difficult to spot, as he intends. But perhaps there is a pattern. I do know that when it comes to his parents, because we all know his feelings towards them, he does not pretend to be aloof about them. So, that's part of the pattern then. Maybe if I figure him out, my subconscious will leave me alone about him. Hopefully. I will say that at least when he pissed me off (Post-nap Library conversation) he was smart enough to leave me alone. And when I was crying… He… comforted me. He has the advantage and I need to even the playing field. Figuring out the pattern is the way to do it. – H_

She went back to the kitchen to refill her cup.

Draco was looking in the cabinet for something, unaware of her presence. He wasn't wearing a shirt and his back was sculpted as though it was made of marble. The movement of his sinewy muscles made the scars which crisscrossed his shoulders seem to dance. She stood in the doorway, completely astonished. She realized she had never seen him without long sleeves. He reached into the cabinet with his left arm and she clearly saw the dark mark glaring at her from over his shoulder.

His focus suddenly shifted to his arm, and he turned around quickly, a mug in his hand. His face showed his terror, but was quickly replaced with a smirk. "Granger," he said with a nod. His chest was covered in larger scars. Still the perfectly sculpted muscles showed through the raised pink skin.

Her mouth clicked shut and she gave him a curt nod in return. She walked to the coffee machine and he refilled her cup before filling his own. They stood silently while they each made their coffee to their liking. She was about to walk back to her room when he said, "Your cat scared the hell out of me last night. Don't you keep him in your room at night?"

She set her cup on the breakfast table and sat facing him. She kept her eyes on his face as she said, "I do, but last night he was tearing around and keeping me awake. I let him out. How did he scare you?"

He sat across from her and sipped his coffee, "Heard weird noises coming from down here, come to find him messing with a dead mouse." He crinkled his nose at the memory.

"Good thing it wasn't your father," she said before taking a sip.

He chuckled. "My thoughts precisely."

"Is this how we are going to do things, now? Just drop the dislike we had of each other for all those years and be flatmates?" She asked suddenly.

"We may as well get along, Granger. We are flatmates for now." He answered carefully.

"Not going to answer the first part of that question are you?"

He sighed, "I never disliked you. I had to play the part, Granger. That boyfriend of yours, I do dislike. And Potter's not so bad if you can ignore his awful insults. I mean really, who can't understand a contract?"

"Seems like before your coffee, you don't evade as much," She said with an eyebrow raise.

"That's right, Granger, deny a man his coffee and he will do anything, even give a straight answer."

"Maybe we should switch to decaf instead of giving Veritasium for the interviews," she said wryly.

He shook his head with a smile, "You are a cruel hearted woman, I always had my suspicions, but never the proof until right now." He took another sip.

She giggled behind her hand. He raised an eyebrow in question, she answered, "No one has ever called me cruel before. Me? Cruel?" She giggled harder.

He chuckled, "Oh, yeah. I'd hate to have you angry at me again. I have never been more terrified than I was when your wand was pointed at me. I never want to find out what obscure curses you can perform."

She had stopped giggling but her face was flushed and she was still smiling. She didn't comment on what he'd clearly wanted her to expand on. "How's your coffee?"

He made a face as though she had punched him in the gut, "Too smart for my simple tricks, I keep forgetting that. It's good, thanks. Why didn't you just ask the elves to make it?"

She shrugged, "I don't really think they should have to. I did ask for one of those scones though. They were so good."

"Bleeding heart again. What makes the elves so deserving of your sympathies?"

"I just think they are treated unfairly most of the time. You treat yours well, but you are the exception."

He rolled his eyes. "You know they enjoy their work, don't you?"

She sighed. "You know, yesterday you never told me what you wanted to talk about in the library. What was it?"

"Just to warn you of how I lounge in the mornings and about the scars."

"Going to tell me what happened?"

"No."

"Caffeine levels have reached their proper levels then?"

"Indeed," He answered, raising his cup. "Abeille," he called. The little elf appeared next to him. He looked down and told her, "Could we have another breakfast tray please? Granger loves your scones, you know."

Abeille looked up at Hermione with her large eyes, "Does Miss Granger enjoy them?"

"Yes, Abeille, they are amazing," Hermione told her with a grin.

"Then Abeille can have them out when Miss Granger wakes, and she can haves them whenever she wants!" The elf said with a happy dance.

"Good thinking Abeille. Run a bath in fifteen minutes, also."

She bowed to him and said "Yes Master Malfoy," as she popped off.

"Oh, a bath sounds glorious. I'll take one when you're done." Hermione said with a yawn.

Draco stood and stretched his hands above his head. "The bath is for you, I've got to go for a run." The tray appeared but neither noticed it.

"A run? Aren't you worried about your father? And how will you find your way back, you've never even left through the front door but to apparate!" She asked, her face full of worry.

"Merlin, Granger, haven't you ever heard of a Treadmill?" Her mouth opened in shock. He continued, "I've got a charmed one in my closet."

"But, you use Muggle technology?" She asked.

"Only sometimes, and I'd thank you to keep that to yourself. Arthur helped me to get the charms working on it so I could still keep in shape while living here."

She stared at him for a moment. He stared back, trying not to make a face. He got sick of it and without breaking eye contact took a scone off the tray and put it into her hand. "Eat." He said, sitting back down.

She absently took a bite. He took a scone for himself and they ate in silence.

* * *

"Severus, enough of this evasion. I know you have taken custody of my son. The wards are loyal to the family, not to any one person. As the head, I am alerted to any change, even in prison." Snape had delayed him by giving him breakfast and then showing him to the Study. Lucius looked incredibly out of place in the chair he sat in. Severus' study was decorated in dark browns and blacks, there was no color in the decorations but for them. Lucius' disheveled appearance resembled that of a shepherd just down from the mountains. "I've been imprisoned for three months, and I doubt I'm as unaware of the situations as you think I am."

"Please, enlighten me, Lucius." Snape drawled.

"He's up to something. I know he is. Our Lord has left my Manor for another. Draco has taken some prisoners from the dungeon. Narcissa is missing, and has been since I went to prison. Draco knows what is behind all of these things, and I want to know what he has to say."

"You broke out of prison for such mundane things Lucius? Surely you had a better reason?"

"I…. Suspect… Things." Lucius looked desperate.

"Very well, we can speak without allowing this to get back to our Lord."

"Do you swear?"

"I swear on my wand, the Dark Lord shall not hear a word of this conversation, Lucius."

"He ordered the prisoners sent to the Mudblood, Granger. Why would he do that? I suspect he may be turning to the other side. He might be turning into a sympathizer. Or worse, he might be trying to court the girl."

Snape thought for a moment. He said, "You sound crazed. Firstly, they hate each other. Secondly, you know how loyal he is to the Dark Lord. How loyal he is to you. But, if it will set your mind at ease, we can send an owl to fetch him from the Zabini boy's mansion."

"Can we not Floo?"

"I don't have access to their network. Also, you are a wanted felon, Lucius. The Ministry is not taken over yet, we cannot depend on the rule-obeying peons who may listen in."

They sent the letter to Draco explaining that his relative had come to visit and Snape would like him to return. They sent the letter on the wing of Snape's Order of the Phoenix owl, although Lucius did not know the difference.

Snape showed him to a bathroom and encouraged him to have his first real bath in months. Snape went back to the window and stuck his arm out. The owl returned as it had been taught to do, and Snape added to the bottom of the letter: "Your father is suspicious, come quickly from 'Zabini's' prepared for questioning- from him." He attached the letter again and told the owl to go to the Weasley's.

* * *

Draco was just stepping onto the treadmill when he heard a voice from downstairs. He ran to the door and down to the lounge to greet his favorite redhead who was holding a letter. "Mrs. Weasley, what brings your-"

She cut off his flattery with a hand, "Your godfather has just sent this. It's to you and marked Urgent. I have a terrible feeling, open it please." Her voice sounded strained.

Draco opened it and his face paled as he read the bottom. "What is it, Draco?" Molly asked, she was fidgeting the whole time he had been reading.

"My father…" He cleared his throat and stood straighter, "My father is at Snape's. Snape has informed me that he is suspicious of something. I must leave. My father wants to question me."

Molly let out the breath she had been holding. "That's not so bad, is it, dear? Just questioning?"

Draco looked down on her caring face, "Do you want the truth or comfort?"

"Truth, every time," came Hermione's voice from behind him.

He turned and asked, "How much have you heard?"

"Your father is at Snape's. Answer Mrs. Weasley's question."

"It is… bad. My mental defenses have surpassed his, I think. But Snape may have Veritasium, and there is no way to combat that. And if he can find anything out about here, I will die."

Hermione looked as though she would speak, but Molly spoke first, "Die? Why will you die dear?"

"I took a Wizarding Oath as soon as I found out he may have escaped. This is the worst thing which could have happened, I don't have the antidote on hand because that is with Snape. He was going to bring it today. We never expected my father to go directly to Snape. How could we have been so stupid!" He was pacing and talking quickly. "I cannot even evade under the effects of Veritasium, I tried during the damn interview. Fuck, maybe he won't use it, but that man is insane, I never know what to expect of him. And then he could still use the Cruciatus curse or any number of other tortures, but maybe he won't since Snape is there and Snape is still his superior." He looked up suddenly, as though he had just remembered they were there. "I have to get ready to leave."

He turned as though to rush up the stairs, and Hermione stopped him. "I have the antidote, Draco."

"The…. What?" His eyes were dazed, he seemed to be panicking.

"The antidote for Veritasium. I have some in my bag. Drink it before you go. Keep Snape in the room, I'm sure he won't want to leave anyway. Tell your father, if he asks about the hippogriffs and Centaurs, you sent them to me as a prank, I'm scared of them or whatever. Keep your head."

He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her fully on the mouth before bounding up the stairs to dress.

Hermione stood there in shock. Molly cleared her throat and Hermione whipped her head around to the older woman's calm face. "Mrs. Weasley…" Hermione tried to think of something to say.

"You'd better get the antidote dear, he'll be needing it momentarily."

Hermione raised her wand and said, "Accio beaded bag!" The bag flew from upstairs and landed in her hand. She dug her hand into it and pulled out a comically large trunk. She opened it with a touch of her wand and pulled out a vial just as Draco ran down the stairs buttoning his vest.

The suit he'd chosen was dark blue, though he had left the jacket upstairs. His shirt was light grey, and his tie was very dark grey, almost the color of his eyes. His tie was askew and his hair was sticking up from his hurried dressing.

She handed him the vial and told him, "Drink," while uncomfortably stepping into his personal space. She reached up and fixed his tie as he drank the light blue liquid. She brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder and stepped back. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression while she did this. She stepped back and raised her wand again, "Accio comb," she called again. The comb zoomed around the corner and landed in her upturned palm. She handed it to Draco silently. He combed through his hair quickly, still staring down at her.

"I've got to go," He said nearly in a whisper. He looked at Molly, "Thanks Molly. Do you think you should call on the Aurors?"

"I will. I'll go to a street close by and notify them that I saw him. Less suspicion that way." Mrs. Weasley said, her face furrowed in a frown.

"Will you come back after so we can have tea?" Hermione asked.

"Yes dear, I'll be back by noon, I should think."

They left through the front door to the Apparation point on the street. Draco gave her a funny look as she stood at the front door watching them go.

* * *

Draco Apparated first to the Zabini complex and then to Snape's street. He strolled up to his godfather's door with his mask firmly in place. He knocked.

The door was opened by Snape. "Well, how was your night?" Snape drawled.

Draco stepped inside as his godfather motioned him in. "Ah, you know, Zabini had some party plans for us. We went to a local Pureblood bar and met some young ladies. They weren't ladylike when we were done with them, Sev."

While Draco was speaking, Severus made a motion with one open hand- palm toward his face, with a quick swipe from chin to forehead. It signaled to Draco to put his defenses up. He nodded. His godfather clapped him on the shoulder and told him, "That's the way, boy. Ah, to be young again." It was a normal conversation between the two of them. Snape's students were never allowed to see this side of him, it was only reserved for Draco, and reserved for whenever there was a Death Eater around.

"So a relative has come? One of mine?" Draco asked as Severus led the way down to his study.

"Indeed. Your father has broken out of prison to talk to you." They were nearing the door.

"Oh," Draco put on a concerned face as the door opened.

His father was seated in the chair facing the door. He was freshly bathed, his hair pulled back into its usual style and wearing transfigured clothing out of Severus' closet. His face was carefully blank as he took in his son's appearance. "Good morning, Draco."

Draco straightened his posture and looked at his father as he would expect. "Good morning, Father."

"Have a seat." Lucius gestured to the seat in front of him.

Draco sat, masking his habit of unbuttoning his jacket with a feigned straightening of his vest.

"Severus, do you mind if I speak to my son in private?"

"I mind," Draco said, "If you are going to ask me about what I think you will, I want Sev to hear the conversation, I think he'll like it."

"And what do you think I'm here to ask about?"

Draco feigned surprise, "Me moving the Hippogriffs and Centaurs to wherever Granger was."

"It was reported to me. Why did you do that?"

Draco forced himself to chuckle, "Ah, that Granger. She's terrified of them. Such a little chickenshit when it comes to `em."

Snape chuckled as Lucius raised his hand, Draco flinched, "Do not curse in front of me boy! Have you no respect?"

"Sorry father." Draco said with his head lowered. "It was just a prank on the Mudblood."

Severus chuckled again, "A good one, boy. A good one."

"I don't know… some parts of these things my son is telling me doesn't sound true. I seem to remember Draco telling me that the girl didn't have any problems with the Hippogriff who attacked him. Do you have any Veritasium, Severus?"

"I do."

"Bring it up, I'd like to know the truth of the matter."

The time for the potion to take effect passed in silence. Severus nodded his head when the potion was supposed to be effective. "You have fifteen minutes, Lucius."

"Why did you ask for the trace to be lifted?" Lucius asked, leaning forward.

Draco raised his eyebrows in what he hoped was innocence, "So I could get into the club last night. If there's a trace, they know I'm underage. It was only three days from my birthday, I didn't think it would be a big deal."

"What club did you go to?"

"The Flying Carpet. It's for Purebloods only. Zabini and I were there to meet with some witches he knew for some drinks and then seduce them to our beds. We had a bet for who could do the dirtiest thing with their witch. Zabini won because he fucked his girl in the-"

"Enough! Why are you not in Spain with the Dark Lord?"

"He… Thought I needed to be taught a lesson about where my family stands in his graces." Draco looked down and away from his father, as though ashamed.

"Is Granger afraid of Hippogriffs?"

"Yes. The rumor is that she had a bad flying experience with one and nearly died."

"Tell me how you feel about the Mudblood," Lucius said suspiciously.

"She's a haughty little bitch, who has no right to be. She thinks herself my equal if not my superior, for whatever reason. She thinks we live in a world filled with rainbows and lollis where she can just walk around freely under the Dark Lord's rule. She needs to be taught a lesson, but she's smart enough to not be found. I think she's blockaded herself with charms for protection. When I find her, I want to be the one to torture her."

"What do you know of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Draco furrowed his brow as if in thought, "I don't know anything about that."

"Shall we have tea then, Lucius? We'll need to Apparate to Spain before noon." Severus said from the corner.

"One more question, Severus. Draco, where is your mother?"

Suddenly from the front door there was a loud banging. They all looked in terror as they heard heavy boots running up the stairs and down the hall. The door swung open and an Auror stood wearing a heavy mask over his face. "Which of you is Lucius Malfoy?" His deep voice asked.

Draco made himself look like he was trying not to answer while looking at his father. He jumped up from his chair and pointed to Lucius. "He is!"

Severus and Draco were finally finished giving their testimony. The Aurors had fixed the front door and finally left. They were sitting to tea.

"Finally, that's over with…" Draco said.

"Where did you get the antidote to Veritasium?" Severus asked, using his normal bored tone.

"Granger had some, if you can believe it." His godfather grunted in response. "So, speaking of Granger, she came up with a good lie just before I left the Headquarters."

"Oh? Which one?"

"The one about the prank. All her idea." Draco grinned.

Snape looked uncomfortably at the fire in the hearth. "Draco, do you not think it strange how well everything has worked out for you in recent months?"

"I do think it strange. But I'm hopeful that it's a sign from whatever gods there may be that I'm doing the right thing."

"I certainly hope so too." Snape said wistfully.

"Are you thinking of Lily?" Draco asked gently.

Severus cleared his throat. "I am. I hope things don't turn out for you as they did for me. That's all." Draco frowned. "Now, how was your first night with my least favorite student?"

Draco sighed before answering, mirroring his godfather by staring wistfully into the fire. "My mother tried to kill her last night."

Snape jumped and sat straight. His black eyes focused on his godson. "Speak boy!"

Draco relayed the story, leaving out what had happened in the kitchen.

"You were offering yourself in place of her?" Snape asked.

"She's the brains of the whole Order, Sev. I couldn't just let my mother turn her in! I knew what my mother would probably do if I told her I was a traitor. She did it, don't think too much about it. I didn't."

"Where is your mother now?"

"I don't want to know. Then I don't have to keep lying about it." He rubbed his forehead irritably. "Why does everyone keep asking me where she is?"

"She knows where… something He wants is. I can't say anymore. Just keep her hidden from the Dark Lord."

"Alright, I will." Draco said. "I've got to go and tell Granger what's happened, I've kept her waiting long enough. Good afternoon, Sev." Draco mimed tipping his hat to his godfather as he spoke.

Snape smiled knowingly after his godson's retreating back. After the door closed, he muttered to himself, "The actions one takes without thinking show their true motives."

A/N: I was having some fun with dialogue in this chapter. Snape's tone is killing me, he sounds wrong, but it's all part of their cover. Draco's a playboy and Severus encourages it. That gives them dialogue to allow them to be able to non-verbally communicate like we saw in this chapter.


	7. Chapter 6

The door shut behind Molly and Draco and Hermione leaned heavily against it with a sigh. _Draco just kissed me. It wasn't a response to my ridiculous reaction to his mother. He kissed me. Molly saw it. Molly didn't say anything. Draco just kissed me. Don't worry about it. He was in a high stress state. He just kissed me, no big deal. So what if he nearly did yesterday too. That doesn't mean anything. It was just a kiss. It's not like there was any point to it. It was like a faster thank you, right? He never says thanks. Maybe that's how he does it? No, Hermione, that's ridiculous._ She had pushed herself off the door and walked upstairs while frantically having these thoughts. She didn't realize she had even moved until she found herself in the bathroom staring at her own flushed face.

"He just kissed me, so what?" she asked her reflection, uncomfortable with her double's appearance. "There is no need to look so shocked. Grow up, Hermione," She scolded herself.

She looked to the tub remembering that Abeille had filled it for Draco. _No, he had it filled for me. That's strange that he would know I'd want a bath. He just kissed me. Stop thinking about it. It doesn't mean anything. A bath is just what I need to clear my head. The steam in the room,_ She mentally seized the idea as she disrobed, _That's why I'm flushed, not that his kiss had any effect on me._

She sunk into the hot water and tried to think about Order business. There was the giants' problem to consider, Malfoy wouldn't be giving them anymore information about it for a while. _Damn, something else, Hermione_.

Harry was considering not returning to school for their final year. Hermione wasn't sure if she would either. The war was more important. _I wonder what Dra… er… Malfoy will do… damnit, Hermione. Stop thinking about him._

She thought about the tea to come with Molly. Would the older woman bring up the kiss? She allowed herself to think about this topic, as it was somewhat important to her personal life. _What if Molly told Ron? What if Molly told anyone? Malfoy is so infuriating! How dare he kiss me?_ She allowed herself to feel the anger towards him and began preparing a list of hexes she would sling at him when she next saw him.

Suddenly she thought _What if his father… hurts him? I can't believe he would, not for something so minor. What if he doesn't come back? What if… his father kills him?_ She had conflicting emotions.

If she were honest with herself she would realize how sad she would be at his passing. She felt responsible for him. Her own decisions had helped him gain entrance into the Order. He'd saved her life from his own mother. He had changed in her eyes in the short three months he had been a Member. He'd gone from the spoilt menace of her friends to maybe one of her friends. He had saved others countless times in his short time, constantly was warning them of raids, helping the creatures from his dungeons, giving them the information they needed to begin fighting back against Voldemort's forces.

But she wasn't honest with herself, not now. Not even in the privacy of her bath. She was pawing her way through her emotions and trying to make sense of them. There was injustice on the surface, rage under that, there was worry mixed with terror, perhaps there was some hope that he would be okay and come back soon. Then at the very bottom of her emotions was a sense of concern. She told herself it was at the very bottom, but it was more like the cauldron which all the other emotions were contained and brewing within.

She finished her bath and dressed as all this was happening in her head. She went to the Kitchen and checked the time. It was 11:30 already. Draco and Molly had left at around 10:45. She set up the kettle and fretted about what Molly would talk to her about. What else could she do?

When Molly arrived, Hermione had mentally backed into a corner. She felt like she had screwed Malfoy in front of the woman, rather than being on the receiving end of a small kiss. In the end, Molly didn't bring it up, Hermione felt the need to alleviate her guilt and brought it up herself towards the end of their hour together. "Are we ignoring the elephant in the room, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Whatever do you mean, dear?"

"Draco kissed me right in front of you, are we not going to talk about it?"

"We can if you'd like dear, but I didn't think it was an issue."

"What do you mean?"

"You and Ronald are not seeing each other romantically, as I understand it. What does it matter if you move on to another boy?"

Hermione sighed and leaned back in her chair. She stared up at the ceiling while she said, "It'll matter to Ron."

Molly answered in a forceful tone, "He is your friend. You cannot allow his feelings to dictate your life. Move on if you're ready, and he'll move on when he is ready. It's as simple as that."

Hermione allowed that to sink in. She was surprised. Of all people, she would never have expected that advice to come from Mrs. Weasley.

The door to the hall was opened and Draco stepped through, looking as pristine as he had when he had left nearly two hours before. "Good afternoon, ladies," he said with a smirk. "Still at tea while the rest of us are off having adventures, I see."

Hermione discovered that she was glad to see him. She was grinning like a loon, as she asked, "How was your father, then?"

Draco sat with a flourish next to Molly. "Well," he began dramatically, " _Since_ we're gossiping, he's lost some weight and it looks _terrible_ for him. And his clothes! Just _dreadful_ with his coloring."

"Oh, Draco, be serious," Molly told him with an affectionate swat on the arm.

His smile dropped off his face, "For you Molly, I can be. It was a good thing Granger had the antidote…" he began. He told them what happened quickly.

Hermione frowned at the idea that Lucius was so interested in her. When Draco got to the part where Lucius asked about Draco's feelings towards her, she smiled at his offhanded comment "Of course all but the rainbows and lollis Granger sees in the world was complete shite."

Draco acted out his pointing out his father to the giggles of the women, and left out the conversation he and Snape had, of course, but the women weren't concerned about it anyway.

Hermione summed it up while ticking points off on her hand, "Your father believed you to be under the effects of the truth serum, and he showed his hand by asking you if you're the same boy he expects you to be, and if that proves you're still loyal. He also is better informed than we thought. He knows about the Order, so we can confirm the Death Eaters has at least some suspicion of it. He is concerned about me, although I wonder if it's because of my reputation or because of the movements of the prisoners, and finally he also doesn't know where your mother is. Have I missed anything?"

"He also is concerned he doesn't have me under his thumb, Granger. Distractions again?" Draco said with a mock disappointed tone.

She glared at him.

"Severus also informed me the reason why everyone is so concerned where she is. Apparently, she knows where something is that the Dark Lord wants."

"Hmm… I wonder what it could be…" Hermione muttered.

"Well, I need to get back to the Burrow, dears. I've dinner to start since there is no meeting tonight."

Molly left them to Floo home, unaware of the awkwardness she left behind her. Draco poured himself some tea and appeared to lounge in the high backed chair. Hermione examined him over the rim of her cup and thought back to what Molly had said. She thought about leaving the room. Avoidance won't solve the problem, Hermione. Confront it head on. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask what the hell he was playing at, Draco began to speak.

"I think he's interested because of the movements of the prisoners," Draco said.

Hermione jumped at the sudden continuation of their conversation. "Good. I don't want anyone to think I'm a threat until the war is going full force."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I know you're a threat."

"You're on our side. Aren't you?" She asked, her heart was hammering in her chest for some reason.

"I am on your side," He reached across the table and gently took the hand holding her cup in his hand. She was surprised to find herself allowing him to. "I'm sorry I kissed you earlier."

Her heart fell, of course he didn't mean it, what was she thinking? _No wait I knew he didn't mean it, why do I feel disappointed at his apology?_

"I may have breached your trust, and for that I apologize. Was Molly cross?"

She found herself speechless. _Who the hell is this guy?_ She thought. At his surprised look, she realized what she must have done. _I've really got to stop thinking aloud_.

He leaned over the table separating them, "It's not like I'm a Polyjuiced stranger or something like that. Is it so wrong of me to apologize for making a rash gesture?"

She removed her hand from his warm touch. "No, it's just… The Great Draco Malfoy apologized. That's not a part of the Malfoy I know."

He smirked again, "Believe it or not, Granger, I was raised to be a gentleman. I would want to court you, but the circumstances always prevent it."

"You… would want to court me?" She was utterly confused. The words were familiar, and their order made sense, but the mouth which spoke them made them confusing. He didn't seem to be joking, indeed his face was as serious as she had ever seen it.

He ran a hand through his hair absently as he leaned back. "I would. See, this isn't how it normally goes. I should be able to, and damn what anyone says. But I can't. It's incredibly improper for me to court you while living in the same house. If I were to court you regardless, I'm pretty sure your friends would do everything in their power to kill or maim me. If I still bypassed my personal safety, I would be disowned as soon as either of my parents caught wind of it. If I could find a way to avoid all that, I think we might be happy together."

"How would you avoid all that?" Her eyes felt like they might fall out of her sockets. She was trying not to react yet. All he had said so far was that he wanted to court her, not that he would.

He sighed. He leaned forward so his hand supported his head and he looked at her with longing clearly etched on his features. "I haven't the faintest. Perhaps the Brightest Witch of our Age might have some opinions on the matter?"

She felt herself blushing, she thought she probably looked like a tomato. She reminded herself that she didn't trust him, nor his confession. She opened her mouth to speak, not really listening to what came out, "What is this? Some ploy to get into my pants to stave off boredom while you live here?" His mouth opened in shock and hurt was in his eyes. She continued anyway, "Yesterday you tell me we should get along because we're flatmates, and today you tell me you want to court me, but can't because we are flatmates!"

He interrupted, "Oh shove off with your lectures, what can I possibly do to make you think I'm not playing a joke on you?"

"Make sense!"

"Why the hell do you think I'm telling you all this? I'm trying to make sense!"

"You never make sense! How do I know this isn't a mask? How do I know you're not just manipulating me for your own purposes?"

"If I were manipulating you for my own purposes, you would already be in my bed," He said seriously.

"See? You admit you want to have sex with me."

"Of course I do. But that's not the only reason I want to court you."

"Well then, what are the other reasons?"

"It might sound crazy, but it's because of Lupin."

She cocked her head to the side, now so far beyond confused, her brain might soon explode. "What?"

"Yesterday, we had a conversation in the Library while you slept." He paused to sip his tea.

"I'd figured. What has that got to do with this?"

He put his hand out in a 'hang on' gesture. "We were talking about you. And Tonks. He pointed out that he knows how I feel about you, I pointed out that I know how he feels about Tonks. He and I are both caught in this web of self-sustaining anguish by not allowing ourselves to be with the woman who we both adore because of outside restrictions. I decided last night that my situation was not one that I wanted to continue to be in."

She thought about it for a moment. "So you're saying you don't want to be Lupin."

He looked excited, "Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying."

She nodded and looked away. "When… you decided to join the Order, you said something at the end of your interview-"

"That you were the only one who mattered. I know you heard it."

She stared at him in the face again, "You didn't mean that you thought I was in charge?"

"No. I meant it in a different way. I wanted you to know that I'm not the person you thought I was."

She put her face in her hands. Through her fingers, she said, "You're not the person I thought you were."

His hands pulled hers away from her face and held them. "Then let me court you, so I can show you who I am."

She looked at his face as he kneeled next to her. His silent movements were always surprising her. He looked so earnest in his plea. "I'll consider it... If I decide I'm open to the idea, we are not at the kissing stage because you apologized for the first one."

He sat back on his haunches and stared at her, "You know, one of these days, I'll have to figure a way… Well, that's a task for another day." He stood, holding his hand out for hers. He pulled her up and wrapped his long arms around her. She allowed herself to simply be held and didn't think about anything else. "Have you eaten lunch?" She heard him through ask the rumbling of his chest.

"No, I was too nervous to."

He released her and called for Pivoine. He asked her for sandwiches and more tea to be delivered to the third floor.

"All the way up there? There's nothing there but a locked door." Hermione told him.

He grinned, "I'm pretty sure there is more than just a door. There may in fact be a whole room behind it, if you could expand your imagination that far."

He began to lead her out of the room as she responded, "You know this cheek is not getting you anywhere, right?"

He held the door open for her and responded, "Yes it is."

She grinned while walking past him.

*Excerpt from Hermione's diary*

June 4, 1998

 _I'm considering being 'courted' by Draco Malfoy. How old-fashioned he is! To ask permission to court me… I haven't decided yet. There's Ron to consider, and Harry. My mind is racing around trying to make sense of this ferret. We had lunch upstairs yesterday… apparently there is a solarium on the top of the house. We didn't talk much, just enjoyed the sun. He left me alone the rest of the afternoon to think I guess. I thought it very kind of him… I sound like a sappy romantic. I've just looked back and realized that just yesterday I was hoping for some insight into what is under the mask… Is it wrong to hope for this to be the insight? Probably. This is so wrong. I can't be courted by Draco Malfoy of all people. And in the middle of a war? How could we? I'm not making much sense these last entries. Nothing about him makes sense, and it makes me lose perspective. My emotions are all frazzled, and he's only been here for one full day! It would not make sense for him to want to be with me. My looks are…. Well, not what he should go for. I will admit he is a handsome man… I am not pretty enough… Maybe if I press him, he might reveal some things. –H_

It was early afternoon before she worked up the courage to try and pick a fight with Draco as she intended to. It was easy to make plans about how she might get him to reveal some things about his intentions, but actually going through with them were harder. She kept remembering how he always seemed to be miles ahead of her. Like he knew what she was thinking. This must be how it is to talk to me for some people. Always afraid to question.

She took a deep breath before stepping into the hall separating their rooms. His door was ajar, so she knocked before poking her head in. "Dra…" She forgot why she'd come when she saw he was running on his Treadmill facing towards the door. He was wearing mesh long shorts, no shirt and sneakers. The scars on his chest and arms rippled over his moving muscles.

She watched him push a few buttons and he slowed to a walk, and she realized he had been watching her. She blushed. "Did you need something?" He panted.

"I uh… Was just wondering what that noise was." She lied. "I guess it was the Treadmill, sorry," She turned to go.

"Uh huh. It wasn't so you could try to pick a fight?" He had his breath back and spoke normally.

She froze. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me guess, shall I?" He was still walking and had a smirk on his face when she turned back to him, "You decided you are not pretty enough to warrant my affections and so came to pick a fight to try to trick me into revealing some hidden motive. Am I right?"

Her face was hot, "I… I don't…" She stuttered trying to figure a way to defend herself.

"You don't…" He supplied. "You don't lie well? I completely agree."

"Well, at least the normal Malfoy is back." She said sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest.

"And the normal Granger is nowhere to be found. Honestly, I thought you could come up with something more clever to try and figure that one out."

"I'm not the Slytherin here. I don't need to be manipulative."

"And I'm no bloody Gryffindor who needs to be trustworthy all the time."

She rolled her eyes, "Obviously."

He turned off the machine and grabbed a towel hanging off the bar to wipe off his sweat as he said with conviction, "I'm not like your precious Ronald, Granger." He wiped his face and then looked at her, "I will push you. I will not let you lecture me about what I want or who I am. I expect you to push me back. I expect you will give me an earful if I'm doing something you disagree with." He walked towards her with the towel over his shoulder and gently touched her arm. His voice also became gentler as he told her, "But don't ever think you are not good enough for me. This is no manipulation. I don't manipulate the people I care about."

She was speechless. She looked up into his face, looking for a lie and could not find one.

"You came to find out if I find you attractive?" He asked softly. "I'll make it simple, you are the most attractive woman I've ever met." His fingers stroked her jawline. "No, I'm not after you only because of your physical traits. Your mind is as beautiful as your face. Attractive doesn't always refer solely to appearance. I could explain it in prose, but that wouldn't make you believe me, I know." He brushed a stray hair off her cheek. She blushed at his words and at his gentleness. It was so different from how he normally was.

"Why are you so kind when we're alone?" She whispered.

He smirked again, "I'm not always, Granger. I have a sadistic side. Trust though, comes from showing you what's inside. What's under the mask I have to wear to protect myself."

She turned abruptly and walked away from him, "You get a mask to protect yourself, and what do I have?"

He caught her arm, and spun her to face him. His voice was steel, "You need not protect yourself from me."

She looked him in the face again, studying his intense eyes. "What about everyone else?"

He gaped at her, she was proud of herself for making him speechless. She continued in his silence, "You pointed out that my friends would curse you, but what about what they would do to me? They are my only friends, Draco. No one else matters to me. You just expect me to turn my care of them off for a boy who has bullied us our entire life? "

He became grim as he considered her point. "I would be turning my back on my family and friends. To me, that is an acceptable consequence of a chance with you."

She was surprised again by his earnestness. "Where do you see this going? Is this a temporary thing with you until you receive your inheritance?"

"No."

"Not going to answer the first part of that then?" She asked, reminiscent of their conversation the morning before.

He smirked and let go of her arm. "I haven't thought about it really. Do you want to sit while we discuss this?"

Should she be impressed about his honesty? Should she be pissed that he had showed her this was somewhat impulsive? Irritated at his cockiness? They sat. "How did you know why I came in here in the first place?" Slipped out while she was thinking.

"Because you're insecure about your looks. That's not what you wanted to ask."

"Alright, when did you decide you wanted to court me?"

"The night before I told you, I told you that already. I think what you mean is how long have I thought of you in a romantic sense? That's hard to pinpoint." He crossed his ankle over his knee. He seemed totally at ease even in his shirtless state, Hermione noticed. He thought for a moment, "I suppose, it was the time Severus told me you had brewed Polyjuice in second year. He was impressed. That impressed me. I began to look closer at what you were doing."

Hermione blushed slightly, remembering the cat hair debacle that came of that.

"It's why I became louder in picking on you, no one could know that I had a thing for you. I was already being… punished for coming second to a Muggleborn, I couldn't let anyone know that I had feelings for one as well."

She sat stiffly as she considered these things, trying not to stare at his bare chest. "Alright, I'll let you finish your workout. I'll be in the library if you want to talk," she said, standing.

He stood next to her, "Hermione," Her heart fluttered at his use of her given name, "I'm asking you to trust me. Decide on that before anything else, and it may help you decide everything else."

She nodded and walked downstairs in a daze. She wished she had other female friends who would listen to her predicament and help her find perspective. Ginny was sort of a friend, but not the type Hermione would turn to for this situation, and especially not since she was Ron's sister. Luna never made sense, so she was out of the question. The Pavarti twins might help, but they were visiting Muggle family in Pakistan and couldn't be reached easily.

She imagined a female Harry sitting on the Chaise next to her and conversed with 'her' for a minute before realizing her imagination refused to give 'Harriett' a feminine feature anywhere. _This is something I need to figure out for myself she thought. He wants me to trust him, can I do that? Yes, I already do. How do I feel about him?_ This stumped her for a moment, there were definitely some complex emotions about him.

 _Ok, that's going to be hard. What about his characteristics? He's smart, that's for sure. Arrogant, but not really in a bad way. He's funny when he wants to be. I think we have the same sense of humor about a lot of things. He's handsome… and he has a great body. He plays his cards close to the vest, which is intriguing. He's not as open as Ron is, so definitely more interesting. He's kind of old-fashioned, which I think I like. But he says he has a sadistic streak, I wonder what he meant by that. He has shown that he wants to protect me during the whole his mom thing. So he's protective. I think he's possessive, considering how he reacts to any mention of Ron. He seems loyal, sometimes,_ "About those he cares about anyway," She thought aloud. _He is open when it's just me and him, does that mean he trusts me or is it that it's an extension of his feelings towards me? Well regardless, he seems to have a lot of great qualities. The bad ones? Well… He can be demeaning toward my friends. He is impulsive_ sometimes. _He can be infuriating when the mood strikes him. It's not so bad I guess._

She realized she had no idea what he really meant by 'courting'. Didn't courting mean he intended to marry her? It was an archaic phrase, maybe he meant to use it that way. She considered it for a moment, before rejecting that he meant it like that. Some of his phrasing about it made her lean towards him using it as a synonym for dating. _I suppose I could consent to let him date me. That wouldn't be so bad, I guess. Probably just giving me flowers and chocolates to satisfy his old-fashioned ways. That's not so bad._ Satisfied that she had made a rational decision, she looked for a cookbook to make his birthday cake. She decided to tell him in the morning that she consented.

She found a book and Flooed Molly. After Hermione asked after the older woman and if there was anyone else home (there wasn't) Hermione began, "Mrs. Weasley I need to know something, if you know it."

"What did you need, dear?"

"Draco's birthday is tomorrow, and I'm thinking of making him a cake. Do you know what kind he likes?"

"His birthday is tomorrow? Dear me, should we plan a party for him?"

"I don't think he wants one. He seems content with the silence for now," Hermione said with a frown, she hadn't even thought of a party for him. Who would they invite? No one in the Order was particularly close to him.

"Well, I'll make sure to send something tomorrow regardless. What kind of cake? He likes anything sweet, dear. I've never heard him mention a preference for any flavor."

"Hmm… Maybe I can find out another way. Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I've got to get back before he realizes anything. I want to surprise him."

"Alright, dear. Let us know if you need anything."

Hermione hugged Mrs. Weasley tightly and returned.

They ate dinner together that night, an exotic array of delicacies the elves prepared. Hermione even tried rabbit for the first time and didn't like it. The gelato for dessert was her favorite. They discussed a wide variety of topics, with impressive speed. They seemed to be having six conversations at once at some points. They retired to the sitting room and continued their conversation on the couch next to each other until well past midnight. Hermione looked at the clock at around 1 AM and interrupted his interpretation of what it would mean to use diamonds in potions to tell him "Happy birthday," and pecked him on the cheek.

He grinned, "You know this means I have access to the vaults? I think it's time for me to start my nest egg."

"Your what?" She asked with a laugh.

"Nest egg, it means a cushion for if anything happens so I can't access the vaults. I have no idea where the phrase came from."

"Oh, that's good. So you don't have to worry so much about their approval then?"

"That's exactly what it means." His voice was low and husky as he stared at her intently.

She leisurely stretched with a yawn. She closed her eyes and missed the darkening of his eyes as they raked over her arched body. "I'm going to bed." She said.

He wished her a goodnight and she made her way to bed.

A/N: Ah, inflections are so much fun. But anyway… Finally some real conversations between these two! I think my favorite part about their conversations is that they just skip over some things which others would dwell on. Hermione starts to lecture, Draco calls her on it. I love Draco for not being all sappy. Just straight to the point. Sappiness comes later- for a bit… The muse is in control of this one, can't argue with her.


	8. Chapter 7

Draco watched Hermione go to bed and then put his head in his hands. "Draco, what are you doing? She doesn't want you… Why would she?" He had told himself this same thing ever since deciding to make Hermione his.

His plan which he intended after the cat scared him had failed spectacularly with the summons to his father's interview. Now he was forced into the submissive role of asking her if he could court her. Originally, he'd just intended to court her- to dazzle her with his knowledge of her inner workings- and deal with the consequences as they came up. Now he had to wait for her decision. For permission to date her. All because of one goddamned kiss he'd not been able to resist. And then being forced to tell her the truth before he was ready. He analyzed her behavior as he stared into the fireplace. She may be leaning more towards yes. She seemed happy tonight. He thought about how she had laughed over his stupid joke at the table. How she blushed ferociously when he brushed her knuckles with his. Her proper ways of eating. He enjoyed teasing for a moment earlier, by asking her a direct question right after she had taken a bite. She'd looked at him annoyed and covered her mouth with her hand as she answered around her food. How she cocked her head to the side when she analyzed _him_.

The last was his favorite. He wondered if she was still trying to figure him out. It had taken him nearly five years to figure her out. _Probably because I was so distracted by other things and couldn't focus on her._ He scoffed at himself, _Who am I kidding she distracted me from everything else._

He was thoroughly irritated that he couldn't yet be himself with her. He had to be a bit meek, for now. He'd warned her about his sadistic side, soon she would learn what exactly that meant. He couldn't wait for the role reversal.

He stood and stretched, deciding it was time for his own sleep. He undressed and lay in his bed trying desperately not to imagine her tied to the frame, gagged, his crop raining down on her slim thighs. He sighed loudly as the image would not leave his mind. The tent in the sheets needed tending to. He took himself in his hand and allowed the images to flow from the most guarded part of his mind.

He fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

* * *

"Draco," A soft voice called. "Draaaaco," A smooth hand stroked his arm. He involuntarily groaned. He could feel himself becoming hard. He raised his knees to hide it and opened his eyes to the girl who had woken him. "You sleep really hard, don't you?" She was laughing. "Coffee?"

"Is this heaven? I'm sure I haven't died in my sleep." He took the mug from her hands after he rearranged the pillows so he could sit up. "What time is it?" He asked with a yawn.

"Nearly ten!"

Her hair was mussed, like always, but unbound like he liked it. She was flushed. He sipped his coffee, "Sit." He told her, wondering how she would react to a command. He watched her eyebrows rise, but she sat obediently. "How long have you been awake?"

"Oh, about two hours or so. I've had breakfast, wrapped presents, and had time for a bath while you've been lazing about up here."

She seemed downright perky this morning. "Presents?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, it is your birthday."

"Oh, yeah. The Weasley's aren't planning on doing a party or anything are they?" He felt queasy just thinking about having to put on the mask for the Order Members.

"Molly wanted to, but I thought you probably wouldn't want one. Am I right?"

"You are. I wish we could go out to dinner somewhere. That would be nice."

"Yeah, I guess. So, do you want presents now or later?"

He looked at her for a moment trying to decipher her mood. "Who did I get presents from?"

"Molly sent a couple 'From the Weasley's', but you know they are from her and Arthur. And I got you something, and so did Harry. I think Ron gave you something, but we should check it for curses before we open it. And there's one from Lupin, another from Tonks, and I'm sure Snape will give you his in person later." He watched her carelessly counting on her fingers as she spoke.

He thought for a moment and then asked her, "Did you have coffee and a Pepper-Up potion?"

She looked surprised, "Yeah, why?"

He chuckled, "You sound like Lavender Brown a bit. Super perky," He told her.

She wrinkled her nose. "Don't compare me to that brainless nitwit."

He laughed, "I'm not, I swear."

"Be sure you keep it that way." She said with a nod, then she grinned. "Are you ever going to get out of bed?"

"I will when you leave the room," He said while staring into his mug.

"Wh-" She began, and then she suddenly blushed, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even think," She stood and walked to the door, "See you downstairs, then."

The door shut behind her and he threw his covers back to reveal his nakedness to the room. He stood and stretched the kinks from his back. He put on his pants and took the trip downstairs with a smirk.

He found a pile of presents on the dining room table. He went to the kitchen to refill his mug and found Hermione cooking breakfast. He could smell bacon and eggs. As she turned and gave him a smile before turning back to her pans, he put his cup on the counter. He smirked to himself, and walked behind her, he pulled her back by her hips to rest against his tall frame and nuzzled his chin on the junction of her shoulder. He felt her shiver and whispered to her, "Does this mean you've accepted my offer?"

"Maybe," She answered, flipping the bacon.

He tucked his chin back and traced her tendon with his lips while he whispered, "That smells amazing, Hermione."

She was shaking, he could see. He noted the goosebumps along her arms. She asked in answer, "What happened to propriety?" So he stepped back to go to the coffee machine. Her lean backwards told him that she definitely wanted him. He considered her reaction and decided to sit at the breakfast table behind her. "Did you sleep well?"

She cleared her throat and answered, "I did, except for some weird dreams."

"Oh? Like what?"

She turned to grab plates and he caught he glance at him, as though she were trying to decide what to say. "In one I was drowning, in another I was on fire, and in the last, I was… Well, I was… in a hospital."

"So your subconscious is really struggling with your decision, then."

"I figured the same." She brought both plates, put his in front of him, and sat across from him. "But, to change the subject, Harry will be here around one for tea."

"Wonderful," He said, rolling his eyes.

"He is trying to be friendly, I think."

He chewed his bacon and considered this. _Maybe it would help if Potter and I were being more friendly for her to become mine_. "And what about your dear Ronald?"

She eyed him suspiciously, "What of him?"

"Is he coming to tea, also?"

"I doubt it. His silence in your presence should not be taken as acceptance of you. I often wonder what he's thinking. He stopped talking to me, you know."

"I didn't. Why did he stop talking to you?" He was glad, but didn't let it show. His hatred of the younger Weasley would never go away.

"Probably because you moved in here. I'm not too sure. Harry is angry at him also, and I don't think they are talking either. I'm going to ask Harry about it over tea."

He digested this for a moment while continuing his brunch. "What do you think Harry's reaction will be if you decide to let me court you?"

She was silent for a moment. "I think he'll be the mature one about it. He'll probably be a little upset, but he'll be ok after a think."

"Is he coming for tea with you or with me?"

"Both I think. Want to talk to him alone?"

"Probably."

"I'll find a reason to leave you alone then."

He thanked her and they continued their brunch in silence, both deep in thought. Draco was considering his conversation with Potter. How should he address the Hermione issue? Should he ask if it's ok? Would she tell him her decision before the tea? Should he just leave it to her? Was talking to him a good idea? Would he also have to be open with Harry? He reminded himself that Harry was intelligent for the thousandth time since meeting the boy. He was also suspicious of Draco, although they had both begun to respect the other.

He finished and went for his run. He continued to speculate the coming conversation with Harry. At the four kilometer mark, he realized the teatime conversation was a welcome respite from his obsessive worrying about Hermione's decision. That made him begin to worry about her decision all over again.

He knew he would still need to give her space to come to a decision. If he was nearby, she would think he was trying to manipulate her. He was being as patient as he could be, but if she didn't give him a decision by the end of the day, he might have to press her a bit on it. He grinned as he thought of how he might press her.

He took his bath and dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark green silk shirt. He decided to forgo the vest, tie, and jacket, since it was his birthday after all. He slipped on his shoes and went down the stairs at 12:45 to see if Hermione needed help with anything. She assured him she was fine and asked if they should go to the third floor, since Harry had never been there. Draco agreed, and sent Abeille and Triste to set it up.

She told him before he went to wait for Harry in the sitting room, "Harry is bringing your present with him, and you can open mine during tea also, if you want."

He nodded, "I'll open them both then, and save the rest for later."

Draco stood in the sitting room, vaguely feeling the strangeness of having tea with the boy he had hated a year prior on his birthday. The flames in the fireplace turned green and Draco stood straighter while the raven haired boy stepped into the room.

Harry looked up at him and said, "Well, if it isn't the slowest seeker Hogwarts has ever seen," By way of greeting.

"Merlin, Potter, hasn't anyone ever taught you to comb your hair?" Draco answered with his trademark smirk.

"They tried, I think my hair has other intentions though. Happy birthday," Harry grinned, offering his hand to Draco.

Draco shook it, saying, "Thanks. We've found the way into the third floor door, you'll be happy to know."

"Ah, so age does indeed bring wisdom. How did you manage that?"

Draco pretended to shine his nails on his shirt and answered, "Well, you'd be surprised what a much larger intellect can do for you."

Harry's grin widened, "Hermione figured it out didn't she?"

"Indeed. She knew the spell but did not have the blood to perform it." Harry's smile turned to shock and Draco replayed what he'd said. He laughed, "I mean she's not a member of the House of Black, Potter."

Harry laughed, "I was worried your cronies were behind the door."

Draco opened the door and gestured for Harry to precede him, "Not unless there is a noseless bastard able to see them. To my knowledge, there is not one in this house. Tea is prepared on the Third floor today, Potter."

They went up and found Hermione lounging in a chair, looking like she was sunbathing, although today had been rainy, and there was no sun to be found.

There was a wrapped box next to her, and Harry pulled a shrunken one out of his pocket. He made it its' original size and handed the present to Draco.

"Later or now?" Draco asked, surprised by Harry's sneakiness.

"Never open presents before tea. Honestly, we are British aren't we?" Hermione said from her seat.

The boys laughed and sat while she poured their tea. They enjoyed their first cup speaking about inconsequential things, classes for the next year and such. No one brought up the considerations they had all made about not attending the next year. Harry and Ron were apparently not talking again, but Harry refused to talk about it.

"Alright, Malfoy, open mine first," Harry said, setting down his cup.

"Oh, Potter, are we sure it won't wreck poor little Hermione's fragile psyche to see the size of your-"

"Oi! There's still a lady present, watch your tongue," Harry said with a laugh.

"Secret admiration for me I was going to say. Get your mind from the gutter, Potter." Draco was shaking his head in mock irritation.

He opened the wrapping paper to find a box for a radio controlled car. He looked to Potter with a brow raised, to which Harry responded, "That's not what it is, I recycled a box."

Draco tore open the lid of the box to discover a new silver cauldron and pestle and mortar made of light grey marble with green veins running throughout. "Ah, Potter, this is great!" He could feel himself grinning like a madman. He and Harry had previously discussed in great detail their shared adoration for potion making. It was something that all three in the room had in common. "Thanks, Harry, really this is splendid." He said, shaking Potter's hand again.

"Alright, does this mean it's my turn?" Hermione asked.

Harry chuckled, and Draco turned, "Yes. Amaze me. I demand it." Draco told her with a chuckle.

She levitated the gift to where he sat, and she told him, "It's heavy,"

He opened what he thought was a box at first but found it was a charm for the paper to keep a box shape around what seemed like a statue of some kind. He removed all the paper and stared at it in wonder. He was speechless at its' beauty. It was a jade statue of a warrior on the back of a dragon. The pedestal was attached to the tail of the dragon, so the pair appeared to be suspended in mid-flight. The warrior's spear or staff was raised and he stood in the saddle attached to the dragon, his head raised and mouth open as though in a battle cry.

"It's from an old legend, a warrior king, when confronted with the oncoming Romans who would take his kingdom and kill his family, rebelled with the help of a Dragon. He was defeated when a catapult launched a boulder directly into the Dragon's belly and launched them into the heavens where they got stuck and were transformed into stars by their gods. It's one of the legends which help explain the constellation Draco. His family was saved by the gods and given special powers. Some have said they were the first wizards." Hermione said.

Draco could feel tears threatening. He cleared his throat, "This is beautiful, Hermione. Thank you."

She grinned.

"Where did you find it?" Harry asked with awe.

"It was one of the possessions of Dumbledore. Headmistress McGonagall mentioned that he had left her a great many things and she was looking to sell some of them. She showed me this one, knowing how much I like History of Magic, and I bought it. She just wanted to give it to me, but I insisted on buying it." Hermione answered.

Draco touched the dragon's face and was surprised to find it warm. He touched the face of the man and it was cold. "Amazing," He whispered.

"On that note, I have to run downstairs and get something, do you guys need anything?" Hermione asked with a pointed look at Draco.

"No, I'll just have a chat with Draco." Harry said.

She left and Harry stared at Draco for a moment. Draco stared back blandly, and when the wait became irritating he said, "Potter, I have some things to ask also, but please, proceed at your leisure," Draco tried to sound bored.

"Your mother is safe. She is in… Well, do you want to know? I'm sure it might be better if you didn't."

"I don't need to know. She has knowledge which would be best to keep from His Un-nameable-ship."

"You talked to your father yesterday, Molly tells me."

"I did."

"I've heard what happened. He seems too interested in Hermione. Any theories why that might be the case?"

Draco's pulse quickened. He leaned forward and put his hands over his face, through his fingers he answered, "He thinks… I have feelings for her."

"And do you?"

His heart skipped a beat at that loaded question. "Yes," He answered simply, then uncovered his face.

Harry frowned.

"I've asked her permission to court her. Not my usual way to go about it, Potter, but she's an unusual girl in an unusual position."

Harry's frown deepened. "Has she given permission?"

"Not yet. She hasn't given me an answer is what I mean."

Harry sat in silence for a moment. Draco used the time to mentally chide himself for making a bigger deal of this situation than it needed to be. Of course Harry would have figured it out. He wasn't sure yet how Hermione's best friend was handling it yet.

"She'll say yes." Harry said softly. "That present is not one you would give to someone who you are about to reject."

"And will you reject her like Weasley has?" Draco asked, filled with trepidation.

Harry thought for a moment. He stood and paced the room. Two minutes passed, and Draco was beginning to think he might burst from the anticipation. Finally, Harry looked at him and then sat back down to be at eye level. He looked at Draco with an intensity he had never seen. "Draco Malfoy, if you proceed to date my friend and then leave her a broken mess like you have the other girls you have dated, I will proceed to hunt you down and cut off every piece of your skin slowly and I will pour lemon juice into every single cut as I am doing it. And that will just be the start of how much I would hurt you. You thought you knew torture at the hands of the Death Eaters? If you hurt her, you will realize how wrong you were."

If this speech had come from anyone else, he would probably have laughed in their face. Harry, however, had shown he possessed the uncanny ability to scare the ever-living hell out of Draco with that speech. "I wouldn't dream of it, Potter," Draco whispered.

"Good." He stood. "I'll go see what's keeping Hermione." He left Draco to ponder the loyalty Harry had just shown. Draco marveled again at how their friendships were so different from the ones he had with his fellow Slytherins. He was beginning to realize why people always had trouble accepting Slytherins as anything other than Death Eaters.

He heard approaching footsteps on the stairs and forced these thoughts from his mind. Harry opened the door and he and Hermione began singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He grinned at the cake Hermione had in her hands. She had obviously cooked it herself, as it was lopsided on one side and the frosting was a bit uneven. He was glad that she had made it herself, it showed how much she cared about him.

They enjoyed the cake and Harry left just after 3:30. Hermione had shown him to the sitting room so he could Floo home. Draco had asked Triste to clean the third floor, and headed down to the Library. He had just found the copy of his inheritance when Hermione came in. He looked up at her with a smile, then noted her worried face. She closed the door and stood in front of it with her arms crossed.

"What is it?"

"Harry told me you guys had a conversation which I should ask you about. So here's me asking."

"I didn't hear a question in there."

She huffed, "Honestly, Harry's being so difficult about this, and now you too? What did you talk with Harry about?"

"You. He asked me if I have feelings for you…" He quickly told her the conversation, "Was he right?" He finished.

"About what?"

"The gift being an indication of your answer?"

"Hmm…" She walked toward him. "You ever notice how we seem not to be able to just tell each other things?" She sat across from him on the chair which was originally in the room. "Someone always has to…"

"Get on with it," He growled at her in frustration.

"Yes, I will consent to you courting me."

He stood and pulled her up with him so he could hug her tightly to his body. "You are the most frustrating witch I know, and I adore you because of it."

She was giggling against him. He pulled back to kiss her forehead. "Oh, I have something for you." He said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag.

"Oh, you don't have to…"

He stopped her and then put the bag into her hand, "Open it."

She opened it and pulled out a fine silver chain with a small pendant of a rose, its' petals were made of rose gold and its stem of yellow gold. It was intricately made and she gasped at the sight of it. "Draco it's…"

He took it from her and undid the clasp while he walked around her. He placed it gently across her neck and moved her hair to the side to clasp it. He ran his hands down her shoulders and finished for her, "Amazing? Unexpected? Wonderful?"

She turned in his arms and put her small hands on his chest while looking up at him. "Perfect, I was going to say."

He kissed her forehead again, "You're welcome."

"What would you have done with it had I said no?" She asked.

He looked down at her, "Given it to you anyway. Your neck has been naked without such a trinket."

She smiled, "The prose starts now, huh?"

He ginned back at her, "Indeed it does Hermione."

She licked her lips. "Remember when I told you we wouldn't be at the kissing stage?" He nodded, his smile fading at that unfortunate bit of information. "I decided it was presumptuous of me to say. You can-"

He didn't hear the rest of what she said. His focus was on her beautiful face looking up at him. He moved a curl off her cheek and ran his hand through her hair, gripping the base of her skull. He watched a flush spread across her cheeks and her eyes dilate. He tugged her forward slightly and lowered his head to hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and he pressed his lips to hers, testing their softness. He pressed a bit harder and then slid his tongue across her bottom lip, requesting her to open for him.

She slid her tongue out to meet him, and he nearly moaned at the contact. He kissed her deeply for a few moments until he could feel his control wavering slightly from her tiny whimpers. He withdrew his tongue and looked at her again. Her lips were rosier and more swollen, and she was flushed. Her breathing was ragged. He smirked. He pecked her lips again to get her attention. She opened her eyes. "Now, then, aren't you glad you changed your mind?" He asked.

"Yes" She whispered.

A/N: OK, I admit, that was a lot of sappiness. But, like Draco said, he had to be meek for a while. It's not really manipulation, but it's close to it. Harry seemed pretty protective though, for good reason. I modeled Harry's speech after my brother. When my husband went to ask if it was ok with him to start dating me that was pretty much what my brother told him. My brother is a guy who pretends to not be very smart, but he has 'moments of almost eloquence' as the hubby calls them, and I think of Harry as being about the same, he hides his intelligence except for in front of Hermione.


	9. Chapter 8

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ June 23, 1998 ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ron entered the strange door he had been led to by the masked man with trepidation. The bright light from outside did not penetrate the murkiness inside the opened doorway very far. The interior of the overly large house was prematurely darkened. The door slammed behind him, as though the hand which closed it had no care for the noise the grand door made upon the jamb.

He could see only a single candle burning in the room, presumably on a table. He waited for his eyes to adjust, but still strained to look around. Suddenly, he heard a high pitched laugh behind him and spun so quickly he nearly fell. He could see nothing in the gloom behind him. He whispered, "Is there someone there?"

From the middle of the room he heard a low hissing voice address him by his full name and was more terrified than he had ever been in his entire life. He turned more slowly and with his adjusted eyesight saw a black cloaked figure sitting to his left. "Ronald Weasssley," the voice said again, its tone was one of judgment.

"Yes," Ron whispered into the dark.

"You've come with newss," The voice offered, as though it was aware of his terror.

He stood straighter. "I want to make a deal before I tell you my information."

"Tell me your wisssh and I will conssider it," The voice said, filled with calculating intelligence.

"I want Draco Malfoy dead."

The voice did not answer at first. "Why?"

Ron took a deep breath, "I just do, do you want my information or not?"

The owner of the voice was suddenly gone. The speed of him was astounding. From a few inches to his left, Ron felt his host's icy consideration entering his brain, and he concentrated on Draco Malfoy dying as his wall from the onslaught.

"It can be arranged. What would you offer to your Dark Lord in exchange?" The voice asked as he circled Ron.

"I know where Harry Potter will be on July 31st…"

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ June 24, 1998 ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

 _*Excerpt from Hermione's diary*_

 _Nineteen days have passed since I told Draco I would allow him to court me. It's been an interesting few weeks. I haven't made much time to actually write down anything about this… relationship. Voldemort is making too much progress in his ambitions for me to really focus on it. It's late at night and he is sleeping on the chaise in the library before me. He's so peaceful when he sleeps. It almost is more attractive to see his face so relaxed than when he's awake. His mask has gone whenever we're alone, I think he doesn't want to hide things from me, other than his past with his family. He never talks about that, really, other than in passing. I don't press the issue. Ron has… been missing for two weeks now. It's almost a relief. The whole Order knows Draco and I are seeing each other. That's what prompted Ron to leave, I think. We stopped keeping it a secret and the first time Draco took my hand in public, Ron left the room and hasn't been seen since._

She paused for a moment and considered Draco's face in the low light of the library. She rearranged herself in the leather armchair she thought of as his before going back to her writing.

 _Draco and I is what matters right now, not Ron. I don't know if I should even consider Ron a friend anymore. Draco on the other hand… Flowers and chocolates were nowhere near what he meant by courting. The conversations we've had have been enlightening, and so have the gifts. He gives gifts like they are candy… We have moved past the kissing stage. He is an amazing kisser. He can get me hot with just a glance, and we haven't even been without clothing in front of one another. I don't know how I'll be able to survive having sex with him… what am I saying, I won't be for a while yet. He's alluded several times to being a little… unusual in the bedroom. I've yet to figure out what he means by his allusions, and he always avoids my inquiries. Anyway… He has mostly figured out the charms on the house. This afternoon, he figured out that the Solarium has a charm so it can replicate places. We dined on the beaches of Fiji this evening because he mentioned wanting to go there one day with me. He can be such a romantic when the mood strikes him. I'll start gushing if I don't stop, I'd better get us to our beds. –H_

She closed her book and shrunk it to put it in her hiding place.

She sat on the chaise next to him and gently stroked his face. "Draco?" He stirred slightly. She touched his neck with the same softness, and whispered his name again. He groaned in his sleep. She touched his chest through his silk shirt, his name a little louder on her lips. He opened his eyes slowly. "Come on, let's get you to bed, Draco."

He yawned. "Yeah, yeah, Granger, let's get us to bed."

She giggled and stood, "You to bed, I'm a grownup and can stay up past my bedtime if I want. Up you come," She held her hand out to him.

He stood without her help and towered over her. "Don't speak to me like a child," He told her seriously.

Her face changed to remorse, "I'm sorry, I was just playing around."

"Will you read me a bedtime story?" He asked with a grin.

She smacked him on the arm, "You're so mean sometimes."

"I know." He flung his arm around her shoulders. He let her go before him through the door and up the stairs. She opened the door to his room when she reached it. He grabbed her hips as he passed and dragged her into the room. He shut the door and pressed her against it with an intense look on his face, and held her wrists pinned against the door. "You have no idea how mean I can be, Granger," He growled.

She blushed, trying to ignore the tightening of her lower belly at his suggestive and controlling words. "I have a vague idea, I should think," She heard herself whisper.

He chuckled and lowered his mouth to her neck. He whispered against her skin seductively, "You think you do. But the things I would do to you," He nipped at the sensitive skin under her ear. "The things I will do to you," He pressed himself against her harder, and she could feel him hardening against her, "Are so much more than your vague ideas."

Hermione's eyes were closed, her was body responding to his words with pleasurable tingles. She tried to raise her arms to be able to touch him as she wished, but he held them firmly near her hips. He grazed his teeth against her collarbone and she whimpered in need. "I would torture you until you had forgotten your own name." He growled, continuing in her silence. "I would worship this body," He raised her hands above her head and held them with one hand so he had a hand with which to caress her. "And you would never forget mine." He stroked down her arm and brushed against the side of her breast. She arched and moaned at the contact, opening her eyes to look at him with need. His eyes seemed darker, and the intensity with which he stared at her felt more revealing than if she were naked before him.

He was lost, torn between ripping off her clothing and taking her and continuing the onslaught he had started. He touched her clothed belly and decided he needed to touch her skin. The cloth of her shirt tickled the back of his hand as he slipped his fingers under to touch her warmth. He watched her arch to his hand, begging him to take more with her motions. He splayed his hand across the taut skin and continued talking to her, "This skin is where I would start. This would be the first place I would touch after I'd tied you to the bed," He pressed his hips firmer into hers, needing to relieve the ache this torture was starting in him. She moaned, her eyes slipping shut. He smirked, knowing she was imagining what he was whispering to her. "I would slowly remove your clothing as I went, and you would feel like you hated me before I was finished. I would save your private parts for last, and then I would coax the most satisfying orgasm of your life once I decide to touch them." He brushed the underside of her bra, and she jumped to his hand again. "And then you would be allowed to pleasure me. This," He thrust against her, "Was made for me, and I fully intend that it should belong only to me." He growled.

"Please," She whimpered suddenly. Her heart was racing, she was so wet, and her body so craving him it was painful for him to deny her.

He pulled her against him by her lower back and leaned next to her ear. He whispered "Please what?"

"I… I need you to touch me…" Her mind was in a haze, and she couldn't think properly.

He stood straighter and ordered, "Open your eyes, Hermione." She complied, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. His face was like stone, his lips in a hard line and his eyes narrowed on her. He spoke in a hard tone, "Tonight, I won't. Tonight, you will go to your room and touch yourself. And don't try to hide the noises you make, I want to hear them."

"But… Why?"

"Because you'll need to learn that you have to submit to my whims in the bedroom. This is your first lesson."

She stood on wobbly knees, "Alright." He pulled her against him again, and kissed her hard. His hands gripped her bottom and one finger slid forward to touch her jean clad heat, and reawakened her passion. She kissed him back wildly, pressing her small frame fully against his toned body.

He let her go and opened the door, his body rigid as he watched her go.

Hermione barely closed the door before she was ripping off her clothing. There was a moment before she slipped out of her panties where she considered what she was about to do, and when she felt the cold air against her soaked outer lips, her decision was made. "Never been this wet before in my life," She muttered to herself as she crawled onto her bed.

Her nipples were hard and she had goose bumps from the chilly air surrounding her. She thought back to what Draco had been whispering to her and felt her body clench again in need. She stroked her right nipple gently and surprised herself by crying out as her body responded. She decided she could forgo the preliminaries and slid her fingers into her wetness.

She bit her lip, as she spread the copious amounts of wetness there onto her fingers. Embarrassment caused her cheeks to flush as she considered Draco's order to not hide her noises. She grazed her clit with her thumb and cried out again, more softly this time. She imagined the things he had told her about earlier. Her fingers stroked her clit quickly, and she soon found herself not caring if anyone was listening, and if they were, that they would be thinking it sexy. She felt her body begin to convulse after just a few minutes and thrust her fingers roughly into her opening, stroking them in time with her contractions. She came three more times before she was satisfied enough to fall asleep.

* * *

Draco cast a charm to make her noises louder and lounged in one of the armchairs, listening to her cries of pleasure. He had gotten a glass of firewhiskey and sipped it while he enjoyed the audio coming from her. He was rock hard but didn't allow himself the pleasure of joining her, yet. He waited until he was certain she was asleep before he took himself into his hand and quickly came. He took a shaky sip of his whiskey as he caught his breath. The frozen rocks clinked against the glass as he considered what to do in the morning. Time passed and he finally retired with a frustrated frown gracing his features.

He woke and padded downstairs in the early light. His night had been tormented with tossings and turnings. He'd dreamt in the early morning of the witch down the hall in all her naked glory begging him for her release, and had woken with another glorious erection. He'd just finished taking care of it, put on his pants and went to start the coffee.

She wasn't awake yet, as he'd expected. He started the growling coffeemaker and decided on a devious plan. He walked softly upstairs and cracked open her door. She lay on her side, facing away from the door. He opened the door wider and saw her pale back revealed from the covers' position. Her modesty was mostly intact, though he knew she was nude.

He entered the room and sat on the bed next to her. He touched her back with his forefinger, tracing her spine with reverence. "Hermione," He whispered. She made a soft noise in her throat, closely resembling a moan and he felt his dick take notice. He touched her again, following a random path across her back, and watching her back prickle in gooseflesh. She rubbed her face against the pillow, and he whispered her name again.

She froze her movements. "What?"

He lay next to her on the bed, his feet hanging off the bed until he turned into her curled body. His hardness nestled itself between her butt checks and he nuzzled into her hair. "You did so well, love. I wanted to tell you."

She covered her face with one arm and told him, "Do you have to tell me when I'm naked?"

He growled, "It's common courtesy to say "Thank you' when someone complements you."

"Sorry, 'Thank you'" She said sarcastically.

He stroked her bared arm which was thrown over her face. "Do you feel embarrassed?"

"Yes."

"You shouldn't." He moved her hair away from her neck and began kissing it between his words, "It was amazingly sexy, even thinking of it now," He thrust against her, "Has made me hard all over again." She remained silent. He continued, allowing his free hand to stroke along her side, "Did you think about what I'd been telling you as we kissed on the door?" She nodded, if he could see her face, he would know her embarrassment by her blush. "And you feel embarrassed being naked while I'm in the room?" She nodded again. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked as he rested his hand just below her breast.

She didn't move, she was thinking hard. Finally she answered, "Sort of. I'm not sure what to think right now."

"Alright. I'll be downstairs. Come down when you're ready." He said while standing.

"Wait."

He nearly turned before remembering her nudity, "Are you decent?" He asked.

He heard cloth moving and she answered, "Yes, turn," after a moment.

She had sat up on the bed with the covers ending just above the curve of the breasts. He watched her eyes rake over his body, pausing at the bulge in his pants and widening before meeting his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before she said, "I'm not embarrassed for what I did last night, but it is not easy to speak about. I'm not used to this kind of…. Dynamic."

He sat again with some space between them. "What kind of dynamic do you see between us?" He asked, genuinely curious. They had not exactly gone over what his kinks were, except for in vague discussions about it.

"I'm not sure what to call it. Where you're in control, and I am being subjugated."

He smiled softly at her, "It's called Dominance and Submission. You're not exactly being subjugated, though. This is no military conquest, and I like it to be only in the bedroom."

"Can… you explain what you mean by that? I'd like some straightforwardness on this."

He sighed and called for Abeille, asking her for coffee and a breakfast tray. They were delivered onto the bed next to them and Draco took a couple of sips of coffee before answering. "It's like a game. There are rules, but there's no winner and no loser. The rules are agreed on before we start. I'll give you an example, Rule 1: We only have the dynamic in the bedroom. So then we would talk about it and make sure we are both ok with that rule, are you ok with that one?"

She thought about it, "Yeah, I think so. But if I change my mind, then what?"

He grinned, "Then we talk about it again and decide how to modify it."

"So far it just sounds like a way for open communication about sex."

He chuckled. "It is that. There's more to it though. If there's no winner or loser, and you break the rules, what do you think happens?"

She thought for a moment. "Is there some kind of punishment?"

"There is. Although, I do like giving out punishment just for kicks, and there are ways to do that which don't hurt the same way, I can show you."

"What if you break the rules?" She asked.

He looked grave, "My rules are mostly just for not hurting you. If I hurt you, I would feel terrible and we would go back for a little while."

She frowned, "What do you mean, go back?"

"It's all about trust. You have to trust me completely. If I go too far, you wouldn't trust me, would you?" She shook her head. "So I would have to go back and try to regain your trust in me."

"What kind of punishments are we talking about?"

"Well, that depends on what the infraction is, it might be something as small as denying you sex, or as large as a caning."

"You mean hitting me with a cane?" She looked shocked.

"Yes, but I would be careful to never, ever go past what you can handle. Believe me, I don't like punishing for rule breaking as much as you would think. I'm the type that wants you to be satisfied and I know how to do that while allowing myself to be sadistic at the same time."

She thought that over for a minute. "If we try it and I don't like it?"

He frowned, "I'm sure that you will, but if you don't, then I would be saddened, but we could get through it."

They continued talking about it for a while until Hermione said, "Can I get dressed?"

Draco laughed and stood. "Sorry, I'd forgotten you were naked."

They went to the Library to have the rest of their chat after Hermione was dressed. She was trying not to be judgmental yet, she knew that she needed a stronger sexual partner, and Draco seemed to be the one who could give it to her. They talked easily and without arguing about anything. He explained a lot about the community which came with his sexual interests, and by the time they changed topics around mid-day with their lunch, Hermione felt she understood it theoretically.

During lunch, they started discussing the missing Ron and speculating about where he might be.

"I just don't understand why he's acting this way," Hermione said with a frustrated sigh.

"You mean giving you and Potter the cold shoulder?" Draco asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes. He's done this before, but never outright disappeared."

"I… don't understand it either." Draco said evasively.

"Oh, please. You hate him, and you wouldn't be surprised if he did anything horrendous."

Draco laughed, "I do hate him, but it's difficult for me to understand why he's acting like this regardless."

"I wonder what he's been up to…" Hermione said before they moved on to other topics.

* * *

Harry stepped through the fireplace and called out for Hermione. She came from the Library and they greeted each other, Harry sounding very strange as he said his hello.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I've been worried so much about Ron, I don't know what to think of what just happened."

"What? What happened?"

"He's come back! He's at the Burrow right now being questioned by his mother."

"WHAT?" Hermione shouted.

"Don't be mad yet- He says he's gotten information from Snake-face." He watched her face working as she tried to digest what he'd just informed her. "He's bragging that he went in and tortured him for information, and that Snake-face gave him some. He wants a meeting called so he can file a report."

"Well call it! He's lying, and we need to hear what information the Dark Lord is trying to pass off! We have to be prepared!" Draco said from the doorway.

"You don't think he's being truthful?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Seriously, Potter? You think your ginger friend waltzed into the Dark Lord's hideout and got any information from him? And assuming that could possibly happen, you really think he walked right back out and came back? No. The Dark Lord either gave him false information, used Occulmency and found out about all of us, or the ginger is playing some other game and has made a deal. If it's the first, maybe we can figure why the Dark Lord is using Weasley. If it's the second, he might show signs of it and we have to move everyone. If it's the third, give me five minutes alone with the little weasel and I'll know exactly what he's playing at." Draco had been speaking aggressively and pacing in the room while he explained all of his ideas on the matter.

Hermione looked concerned and interjected, "But Ron doesn't lie."

Draco and Harry had identical looks of surprise on their faces. Harry spoke for both of them, "Do you really think that?"

She thought for a moment. "I just can't picture him lying, is all."

"Well then, let's assume he is telling the truth, how did he get in and out?" Draco challenged.

Hermione straightened her shirt as she nervously considered her belief in her friend. "I don't know. Let's call the meeting and ask him." She acquiesced.

"Fine, we'll get everyone here. Veritasium?" Harry asked.

"… I suppose with such a wild story it is necessary." Hermione said after a pregnant pause.

"How long has he been back, Potter?" Draco asked.

"About twenty minutes." Harry answered.

"Can we make the meeting in an hour? I'm concerned he had access to the antidote." Draco explained.

"Yes. Put out the call, Harry and we'll meet here. Bring Ron back and we will deny him access to liquids until he gets the Veritasium as a precaution. Moody needs to come with Ron, to keep an eye and we need to come up with questions." Hermione said.

* * *

Ronald Billius Weasley. She stared at him, carefully controlling her expression as he sat before her in the 'Interview Room'. Moody stood behind Ron, leaning awkwardly against the wall.

Ron had attempted conversation more than once with her, but she merely stared at him and thought. He was willing to talk to her, apparently, but not Harry. No communication had been attempted with Moody, either. He seemed to want to talk to Hermione about something. She wouldn't let him. She merely stared at him for ten minutes, before standing and leaving the room.

Hermione entered the Dining Room to the tumultuous conversations which were reminiscent of the day Draco had joined. Molly, Arthur and the twins were standing off in one corner silently observing the commotion around them with sad faces.

"-dn't do anything bad, I-"

"-s not smart enough to think of-"

"-Snape's opinion?"

"His poor mother's heart, so it wou-"

"-tel from our double agents?"

She heard only snippets of conversations as she sat at the table. She looked to the head of the table where she had sat when Draco's entry was being contested. There sat her new Headmistress, who with a nod in acknowledgement to Hermione's wave, stood to address the room.

"Attention!" The older woman called out in her accented voice. The Order Members quieted down. "I know most of you think the Youngest Mr. Weasley is guilty of some crime, but allow me to remind you that he has not been interviewed yet. We must remember our sense of balance and of fairness in this time of confusion. Let us all remember that he is not on trial here, he's just to be interviewed. Question suggestions shall be asked for shortly. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, do you want to be present during the interview?"

Mr. Weasley spoke, "Mrs. Weasley does not, but I do, Professor McGonagall." His voice was grave and trembled slightly toward the end.

"Vote on public or private interview?" She paused a moment to let them think. "Anyone want to speak on either side may have the floor."

Harry stood as she sat. "I reckon he should be interviewed publically. This is a serious issue and I think we shouldn't rely on secondhand information about the information he gives."

Hagrid raised his hand and stepped forward as Harry sat back down, he said, "Doncha thin' he oughter have at leas' SOME pr'vacy 'bout this? He's bin yer friend for six yers, Harry."

Harry stood again, "He has been my friend, and that's why I think he ought to have a public one. No one can spin what he says that way." He put his hands out, "I'm not saying anyone would on purpose. It's just the way humans are sometimes."

Hagrid grunted and put his head down.

McGonagall nodded gravely. "Does anyone else have another opinion before the vote?"

No one stood.

"Public?" A counter appeared above McGonagall's pointed hat showing two columns one for Public and the other for Private. The votes were counted by the voter raising their wand. Ten wands were raised. "Private? She called. Ten more wands were raised. "It is a tie then. The family did not vote. I think it best to leave this decision with them." She said authoritatively.

The Weasley's looked at one another and whispered for a moment. Arthur stood. "We would like for there to be a private one with a Pensive made of the Interview. That seems the most fair… to us." He finished, again near tears.

Hermione touched Draco's arm with her fingertips for support. His warm fingers covered hers gently, and their eyes met, both showing concern.

"Misters Kingsley, Arthur Weasley and Malfoy will join Professors Lupin, and Moody as well as myself for the interview." McGonagall stated flatly. Hermione was about to object when McGonagall said, "And Miss Granger will give us the Pensive of the event. I will now open the floor for any possible questions."

A/N: So much stuff happened in this chapter! I'm trying to like the conversation about the Dom/sub relationship they had, but it's hard to like it... Just wanted to make sure you guys knew what is meant by it on a general way before we get more into it! Then there's the Ron thing! I mean, what is that stupid ginger thinking?


	10. Chapter 9

Hermione opened her eyes to the muted sunlight coming through the tent above her. She sat up with a pained groan as the kinks in her back flared from her sleep on the ground. She knew it would come to this… After the interview of Ron, everyone had implemented their escape plans. During his interview, Malfoy had asked him if he had a memory charm performed on him, and Ron had answered in the affirmative. Moody had performed the counter-curse and Ron's treachery had been revealed. He had revealed all the secret places where the Order Members lived and all of their plans for hiding. All of the Order members were on the run. Even Malfoy, who's cover had been blown by Ron. Snape was being observed closely by the Death Eaters, but somehow had not been revealed as a double-agent by the red-head.

Ron had been taken to the dungeons of Malfoy Manor and Pivoine was left to tend to his basic needs, under strict orders to not let him loose and to not allow anyone into the Manor no matter what. She had to become a Malfoy Elf once more, but she understood the necessity. In order for her to have control of the Wards, she had to become one of their slaves and be given the power by the Head of the House or his Heir.

The past four weeks had been lived out of tents. Meetings were held with magic mirrors in the moonlight. Hermione was alone this morning for the first time since the decision was made. Malfoy had gone with Harry on a Horcrux hunt- as they liked to call them- and wouldn't be back until the following afternoon at the earliest.

Hermione, Malfoy, and Harry had been travelling the countryside together, trying to escape detection by the Death Eaters who searched for them. The decision had been made to follow through with the original plan of moving Harry, but knowing there was an ambush planned made it easier to prepare for. They would fight. It would be the first real battle of the coming war. Stop thinking about it, Granger. Malfoy's voice was in her head again. He was a permanent fixture in her mind now, although they had little time alone since… The Ron incident. She looked toward his section of the tent and tried not to think about Draco's absence.

Hermione got out of her bag, grabbed her wand, and stepped outside for a trip to the loo. Through her depressed and exhausted mental haze, she suddenly realized how silent it was in the wood where she had camped for the night. She froze and listened carefully. There were uneven footfalls coming from her right. She looked for their owner and could see nothing but misty foliage surrounding her. Her body was rigid from anxiety as she clenched her wand tightly, waiting for the noisemaker to come into view.

She saw a moving brown speck between branches and lifted her wand in preparation. She cursed her situation. She couldn't have protected herself because of the traces of magic which would have broadcast her location to every Wizard in a fifty kilometer radius. The sound came a step closer and she saw a brief glimpse of red from the owner of the footsteps. Blood? She thought. She listened closer to the steps coming toward her and realized it was two sets, close together. Her heart leapt into her throat in hope it might be Harry and Draco returning and worry set in from the possibility of blood on either of them.

A familiar sounding whisper broke the silence, "Hermione?" Came from just behind the foliage.

"Password?" She asked the voice.

"Hundredfold," cane the whispered response, and her body relaxed. "I need help."

She jumped forward and pulled back the screen of leaves to reveal Lupin half carrying Draco. She gasped and helped Lupin to carry the half-conscious and bleeding Draco into the clearing. They lay him down on the grass and Hermione quickly took in the situation. Lupin collapsed on the grass next to Draco.

"Injuries?" She asked Lupin.

"Near full moon," He replied, his voice strained.

She turned her attention fully to Draco and tore open his shirt to reveal his injured stomach. "Accio Beaded Bag!" She called, and pulled out her potion set. "What happened Draco?" She whispered to his partially aware face.

"Potter… Missed his mark…" He wheezed as she poured a potion on his wound. The wound knitted itself and the bleeding stopped. Draco's ever-pale face was ghostlike in the misty morning light. She lifted his head into her lap to pour a blood-replenishing potion down his throat. He swallowed and told her, "He's fine, don't worry. With Molly. Small battle, Greyback…" He grimaced in pain, "Is injured badly." He gave her a pained grin, "And I'm fine. Just a few minutes looking into your face will restore any man, even from near death."

She snorted, "I should hope to see you injured more often then. This prose is nice." She kissed his forehead.

He winked at her and sat up. She turned to Lupin and handed him his Wolfsbane potion without getting up. He nodded his thanks to her and drank it down.

"Anything from the statue?" Hermione asked Draco, quietly. The statue from Dumbledore's office had begun speaking to Draco in his dreams, informing him of some things the Death Eaters were doing. He had told her he thought it was the actual dragon from the story sometimes, and others he worried that the information could be coming from Voldemort as a ruse. Hermione leaned toward it being some kind of charm which Dumbledore had invented during the first war. It was Dumbledore's style to have as many spies as he could get. She decided she needed to talk to Draco about that theory when they were alone.

"Just the same message for the past few days: Stay secret. Keep hidden. Your light will come unbidden." He said with a distant look on his face. So far there had been no information that was really necessary for the Order to know about. Harry knew, but only because one of the dreams had led their hunt for the fourth Horcrux's true location. They had been recording them in a journal, but otherwise kept them to themselves.

This message was so different from any of the ones which had come before. This one seemed to be in verse, like a prophesy, but the one's before had been short sentences about where to avoid Death Eaters who would come looking for them. There was no rhyme to them until this repeated message.

She nodded and turned to Lupin. "Better?" She asked, noting his pallor.

"Not quite. Tonight is the full moon, and I cannot fight the change this time. I'll stay up the hill and hunt tonight."

Hermione nodded. She left them long enough to finally relieve herself and came back to Draco getting a fire going. He had set water over it to boil. She raised her eyebrows and he gestured at his blood covered chest. She nodded again and went back into the tent. The silence of the forest made it hard for anyone to think of anything to say.

The day passed with little activity. Lupin spent most of the day alternating between sitting on a rock on the side of the campsite and pacing frantically. Hermione continued her research into Horcruxes and Draco sat moodily staring at the ruins of his shirt.

In the middle of the afternoon, Lupin shot up and raised his head as though sniffing the air. His eyes were narrowed and he looked incredibly tense. Hermione stayed apprehensive over her book, watching him. Draco silently moved into a crouch, ready to spring with his wand in his hand.

Lupin suddenly relaxed his shoulders and walked to one side of the site, gesturing to Hermione and Draco to relax as well. He moved aside a branch after receiving the password to reveal Snape. "Well, Snivelly, you look like you have news," Lupin said with a tense smile.

Snape's dower expression did not change. "I do. I've only a moment. Next week, there will be many more Death Eaters than expected previously. Greyback is out for the blood of my Godson. And Granger," He drawled her name with a bland expression, "Is all but forgotten about, as usual." She was pleased. "I must go. Keep hidden," He warned.

Draco and Hermione shared a look of surprise at his unusual warning. Hermione asked Draco with her face if he had told his godfather about the Dragon statue. Draco shook his head. She frowned, trying to figure out what Snape's comment meant.

Lupin told them, "I'm going up the way. The sun will be setting soon."

They told him goodbye and went inside the tent. It had been so long since they had any real time together, they made the most of it. They ate a simple meal and Draco moved closer to her in the lantern light once they were done. His gaze intense, he leaned in and kissed her alternating between hard passionate kisses and feather light ones, Draco teased her relentlessly, as though to make up for lost time.

Finally, she had begged him to stop, they needed sleep. He'd pouted comically and left the tent to change into his sleep clothes and told her to do the same while he was out.

His reaction to her manor of dress was a quick once over and a frown. "You'll be the death of me, soon enough, Witch." He muttered before sitting in his bag.

She grinned at his comment, allowing herself some pride in her appearance. It was a rare thing for her to feel like she was attractive, but when Draco looked at her like that, it always made her feel worthy of his affections.

They lay across from each other, and whispered about the statue again, "You think it's a charm from Dumbledore?" He asked when she told him her theory.

"Yes, all he would need to do is find someone- Like Snape- to bewitch an object which is always with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and the information can be passed to the owner. I came across it in…"

He interrupted, "But wouldn't it only work for Dumbledore?"

"If he made it so it would work for the owner, then not exclusively, I bought it and gave it to you as a gift, it's yours now..." She answered, and then yawned.

"Go to sleep, Granger." He told her affectionately.

She smiled and closed her eyes as he turned out the lantern.

* * *

Thunder echoed in the hills, Hermione woke in the middle of the night in its wake. She heard the distant howl of Professor Lupin and shivered. Draco's snores had stopped, and she whispered his name. "Can I come lay with you?" She requested.

He made an affirmative noise and she crawled into his bag, pressing her back into his side.

He turned toward her and sighed in satisfaction. Her shorts left her legs bare to his silk pants, and she relished in the feeling of his bare chest against her camisole clad back. His breath tickled her shoulder as he snuggled closer to her. He was hard against her bottom, and she wiggled against him, smiling to herself in the dark. He growled at her and thrust against her slightly. Her body wanted him.

A flash of lightning followed closely by thunder made her jump, and he wrapped his long arms tightly around her. "You're safe with me, love." He whispered against her neck. She shivered at the whiskers of his chin brushing against her.

She lifted his arm and turned to face him. She kissed him lightly and told him, "I know."

He grabbed her and hoisted her to straddle him. She could feel his hardness pressing against her and enjoyed the want radiating from the contact. She leaned down and kissed him again. She snaked her tongue out to his hot mouth and he growled again, grabbing her hips tightly. She caressed his bare chest, tracing the scars lightly while they kissed and she could feel him shaking below her.

She allowed him to roll them over, laughing as they got tangled in the sleeping bag. He left her to unzip it and give them more freedom. At the end of the zip, a flash of lightning lit up the tent long enough for her to see the predatory look on his face as he turned toward her again. He was near her feet, looking up her body. The intensity of his face made her want him even more. This is it, She marveled, I'm finally going to sleep with Draco.

She felt his large hands on her calves, gently stroking and moving upwards. Her breath caught in her throat. His lips lazily followed his hands up her bare legs and she moaned. He surprised her by not opening her legs, but rather straddling her as he got to her shorts. His hands gripped her hips and he nuzzled against her sex before moving to her stomach. He did not move her clothing and she desperately wanted him to.

His hands teased the undersides of her breasts and she arched to the contact, her nipples almost throbbing in need. He kissed her again, his hands lifting her shirt to expose her stomach to the warm air.

She desperately wanted to wrap her legs around him and relieve the ache in her core, even a little, but his thighs trapped her hips so she could barely move them.

He kissed along her jaw and whispered into her ear, "Do you want to continue?"

"Please," She whimpered in response.

Thunder echoed again in the hills. He lowered the straps of her shirt and pulled the fabric down to expose her breasts. He gently traced their shape with his fingertips, not touching the sensitive and pebbled tips. She arched again to his touch, moaning in frustration. She was about to touch herself when the heat from his breath drifted against her nipples.

She arched her back, trying to get him to touch her more, and he finally complied. His tongue stroked against her and she cried out. He'd barely touched her and she felt like she was about to orgasm.

He latched onto one of her nipples with his mouth and stroked the other with his callused hands. Somehow he managed to slip one of his legs between hers and she gripped his hips with her legs, using the leverage from his strong body to lift herself up to press against him. He growled against her and pressed her back against the ground. He moved himself against her, miming what was to come, and she could feel her own excitement all over her panties.

He tore himself away from her chest and grabbed her ankles from behind him. He held them so that she had no leverage to push against him, and said, "Hermione. I need to know if this is what you want. This is the last time I will ask you."

She covered her chest with her arms and thought about it for a moment, "Yes, this is what I want."

His response was to rip her shorts and panties from her with a growl and he slid down her body, kissing as he went, until his face was against her damp lips. She gasped as he expertly stroked her with his fingers, spreading her wetness to her aching clit. Her heart seemed like it would explode as soon as she felt the first stroke of his tongue.

He very softly circled her throbbing nub, and then sucked on it as his fingers entered her tight passage. He stroked against her clit with his tongue in time with his fingers entering her, and her body began clenching against him. He brought her to completion so quickly that Hermione nearly screamed. She could feel her body milking his fingers and he did not stop immediately. His tongue continued at the same pace while his fingers slowed. Suddenly she felt herself orgasm again, and she bit her lip to stop the screams.

He raised himself above her, lowering his pants as she recovered. She was still panting when she opened her eyes. She could see him briefly in a flash of lightning, his face ravenous, and he stroked himself gently.

She felt her body respond again, although he was barely touching her. He leaned over her and kissed her, passing her own flavor on his lips. She licked and sucked his lips in a moment of wild passion just before he pressed against her.

The tip of him pressed against her opening and she tried to stop herself from moving her hips roughly upwards. He rubbed his tip across her aching heat and slowly pressed into her. She was astonished at his size. He stretched her out and she worried about pain which might come tomorrow briefly before thought became impossible.

He was about halfway in when he pulled out slightly and thrust back further in with a grunt. She fell over the precipice again, not even knowing she'd been on the edge of it. As she came, he worked himself in further, thrusting slightly harder as he got further.

She felt so deliciously full as he paused all the way inside her. She lifted her arm to stroke his neck, and he roughly shoved it down above her head. Her other arm joined it, and he growled to her, "Keep your hands there or you will be spanked." She felt herself tighten slightly at his tone, for whatever reason, that command had excited her further. He slapped her butt lightly and told her, "Say 'Yes, sir', or 'Yes, Mr. Malfoy', Granger."

Her body responded stronger to that, "Yes, sir," She whispered breathlessly.

He began to thrust into her languidly and told her, "Good girl," In a satisfied tone. She was astonished that just that two word sentence caused her to go into the longest and most intense orgasm of her life. She felt her body spasming but her mind was lost in a sea of colors and pleasure such that she had never experienced in her life.

She came back to reality a few minutes later, and Draco pressed a kiss onto her lips, "Welcome back," He whispered, sounding like he was smirking.

She felt as though she might burst into tears in gratitude for the orgasm he had just given her. Before she could say anything foolish, he told her, "Get on your knees, Granger."

He pulled back and she did as he said. He pushed her forward so her ass was in the air and her shoulders were nearly even with her face. Then she felt his tongue against her clit again, the position making it so she couldn't really move against him. She moaned. He pulled back and whispered, "Play with your tits."

She moved her hands onto her breasts and shivered when his cock pressed against her. "You want this again?" He asked in a teasing voice. He pressed against her but was not entering.

"Yes," She moaned.

He slapped her ass, harder than he had before. "What did I tell you?" His voice was steel again.

Her body throbbed with need. The slap hadn't hurt that much, in fact it seemed like it made her want blossom into outright need for what was pressing against her. "Yes, sir, I want it, please." She moaned, still playing with her breasts.

She heard him growl and then he was suddenly thrusting into her much harder than he had been. She lowered her hands from her body and tried to steady herself from his powerful thrusts. She quaked when he slapped her ass again, even harder, but still not really painful as exciting. He had a commanding tone and told her, "Don't you dare stop playing with those sweet tits of yours Granger."

Her voice was shaking as she raised her hands again to her hard nipples, "I won't Mr. Malfoy."

He growled ferociously with that and thrust even harder against her, "I like it when you call me Mr. Malfoy, Granger. It's making me want to cum all over you. Or maybe in that pretty little mouth of yours. How about it, Granger? Want to fill your mouth with cum?"

His vulgar speech made her clench around him again, and she couldn't answer at first. He slapped her once again, and growled, "I asked you a question, Granger."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I'd love that," She didn't even remember exactly what he'd said. She was so lost in sensations she couldn't think straight, but she knew he wouldn't do anything bad or that would hurt her.

Again, at the 'Mr. Malfoy' he thrust harder into her. "Fuck, Granger, I'm gonna cum. Get your mouth on this right now." He pulled out and he pulled her around to be where he wanted her. He was to her right and her body was on display for him.

She took half a second to admire the glistening skin in the lightning before he nudged against her lips and she opened them. She sucked him into her mouth and heard his groan above her. "Play with your pussy, Granger." She started to do as commanded and he started tweaking her nipple while she sucked.

She was making muffled moans around him as she played with her clit, nearing her orgasm as she tried to imagine what this looked like. She imagined herself lying on her back with her head turned to the side and greedily sucking the hardness of her former enemy as deep as she could while she played with herself and he massaged her breasts. She heard him groan again and suddenly her mouth was filled with his salty cum. "Swallow it, Granger, and cum for me."

She swallowed and he lowered himself to suck on her nipples. It only took her a minute before she came. She started to come down from her high as Draco lay next to her and held her. "That was… That…." She couldn't find the words to explain what she had just gone through. She sighed and kissed him instead of trying to.

She could feel his smirk against her mouth. He raised his head to lean on his hand and looked down at her. "Merlin, Granger, hearing you call me Mr. Malfoy…" He whistled, "I think I might get turned on at meetings now."

She giggled.

"Do you need any water? I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked.

"Water might be nice. No I'm fine. It…" She blushed, remembering her reactions to his 'Dominance'. "It didn't hurt."

He poured her water from the jug near their feet and handed it to her. "Well, what did you think?" He asked laying back down with his head on his hand again.

She took a sip, thinking. "I liked it. It wasn't like I expected."

He chuckled, "Nor I. That was the most vanilla I've had in a long time."

"Vanilla?" she asked, confused.

"It's a shorthand way to say it was like normal sex. You know, vanilla ice cream- nothing added to it, it's just plain."

For some reason this upset her. "What do you mean? Are you saying it wasn't good for you?"

He stroked her hair, "No, Hermione. That's not at all what I meant. I mean that I haven't had sex with someone I love before."

She was in the process of taking a sip as he said that and nearly choked. "You what?"

He took her face in his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, "I love you. I was going to tell you in the morning, but my plans never work out when you're involved." His voice was gentle. "And I didn't want to introduce the hard stuff until you're ready."

The tin cup flew from her hand and she wrapped her arms around his neck fiercely. He chuckled against her. She kissed him again and again, tears leaking from her eyes.

The morning came sooner than either of them wanted. The light woke them, still cuddled together on the opened sleeping bag. As Draco stretched his hands over his head while still lying next to her, she glanced down his body to his jutting erection. Her eyes widened To think that fit inside of me, She thought to herself.

She stood and haphazardly threw on clothes for the day trying her best to ignore Draco's intense stare. She sat on the floor while pulling on shoes and finally asked him, "What?"

"In a hurry to leave, Granger?" He drawled. He was guarding his expression, but his forehead was creased slightly. She recognized he probably thought she was leaving and was upset by it.

"I have to use the restroom Malfoy." She answered, sounding a bit annoyed even to herself.

His brow relaxed. She leaned down and kissed his lips before wandering outside. "Better get dressed, Malfoy." She called once the tent flap closed behind her.

He threw open the tent opening a moment later, wearing just his pants as she was used to in the mornings to find the same scene she had. Lupin was lying naked on the rock which he had occupied for most of the previous day. He was covered in blood, although whether it was his or not was hard to determine.

They looked at each other, both astonished. Draco turned back to the tent and grabbed a spare blanket from her beaded bag and a pair of his sleep pants which were clean. He covered the sleeping man and set the pants next to his head. He gestured to Hermione for her to go use the bathroom and he began preparations to start a fire before she turned.

When she returned, Draco was just setting water on the fire to warm, and he glanced up at her. She marveled again at his handsome features. He stood and she remembered how his perfectly muscled body had felt under her. How his strong arms had… She blushed. She watched him walk over to her and he wrapped an arm affectionately around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her heart started to race as she looked into those fascinating eyes. They darkened as she looked up at him, and his face looked predatory again.

"If it weren't for him," He nodded his head over to the sleeping man, "You wouldn't be able to walk after I was done with you." He told her in a low voice.

She smirked- knowing it was an expression she had gained from him. "If it weren't for him, you would have never had the chance."

Draco chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I know," He answered.

There was a cry from behind him and they both turned to look at the now awake werewolf who was looking at himself in disgust.

"Any of that yours, Wolf?" Draco asked with a lopsided grin.

Lupin jumped at the sound of Draco's voice and looked at them with guilt. "I think not. Especially given how full I am."

Hermione made a disgusted face.

Draco's grin widened, "Couldn't have brought us any steaks then?"

"Ugh," Hermione added wisely.

Lupin frowned at the blonde. "You know that I couldn't. Let me get some pants on," He picked up the pair Draco had left sitting on the rock next to him.

Draco answered, "Have a wash first, Professor. Water should be warm."

The pair turned away from him and went back into the tent to afford him some privacy.

Hermione looked at Draco with wide eyes as he pulled her to him again. "Fancy a quick one, Granger?" He asked quietly with a grin.

She giggled softly, "Not after that." She stepped out of his embrace and added, "Mr. Malfoy," And batted her eyes innocently at him.

He growled and grabbed her arm to pull her back against the solid wall of his chest. He bent his head and teased her neck while pressing her hips into his. "Be careful how you use that, Granger. I might be inclined to punish you if you use it too much without satisfying me," He growled into her ear.

She felt her heart racing again, her body was incredibly interested in what he was doing to her. She pushed her hips harder into his and grasped the back of his neck to hold herself closer to him.

A splash came from outside and a muttered curse was heard from the Professor. She released him with a sigh. "Better get dressed, Draco. We've company, don't forget."

He frowned. "Alright, but remind me when it's just us to tell you about the dragon dream I had last night."

"Another? Was it different this time?"

He nodded. "And what you just said was part of it." Lupin called out for them from outside. "But I'll have to tell you later." He stepped back from her and looked down at the bulge in the front of his pants. "See what you've done? I'll have to spank you for this." He told her gravely.

She licked her lips and whispered, "I'll look forward to it," In a way she hoped was seductively. Then she told him in her businesslike tone, "Go on and get dressed." She turned and walked back out of the tent.

A/N: My, my, is it hot in here, or is it just me? Gosh, that was a lot of fun to write. I know some of you are thinking, 'But Hermione is a prude, right?' Well, I'm thinking of it like Hermione is reserved when it comes to talking about sex unless it's with the person who she is having sex with. I think most of us ladies are like that.


	11. Chapter 10

_Draco stood in the interview room staring at the red-headed boy whose memory charm had just been removed. He noticed that a lot of the boy's confidence was suddenly gone, and that he seemed to not understand where he was. There was a blankness about his face which told Draco that the boy had been at least partially Imperioed before coming to 12 Grimmauld Place. Draco knew the signs. There was a curious hollowness to everyone's voices as the questioning continued._

 _"Ronald, how did you get information from Voldemort?" Kingsley asked severely._

 _"I was just given it."_

 _"What do you mean? Did you talk to him in person?"_

 _"Yes. I was shown into the room and I told him I wanted Draco Malfoy dead in exchange for information. He told me it could be arranged, and I told him about the plans for Harry's birthday. He told me it wasn't enough for Malfoy to die, so I asked him what would be. He told me all the information I knew about everyone who is an Order Member would be enough." Draco came to the realization that Ron's face was changing. His hair seemed less red, too. His nose was shortening and the nostrils were flattening slightly. His eyes were becoming larger and- it seemed to Draco- older. His skin seemed darker and his freckles were disappearing as the boy spoke._

 _The Members gasped at the information, Draco along with them. But he realized suddenly that he was dreaming. "How much did you tell him?" Came from McGonagall's surprised face._

 _"I told him where we all live and about the Headquarters," His voice was becoming higher pitched and reedy. Suddenly he looked right at Draco and in his new form said, "Your life is mine to control. You know your village is lost; your family's blood is on your hands. Nothing can be done but to accept defeat and grovel at my feet."_

 _At the end of this sentence, the statue given to him on his birthday by Hermione came from behind him and blew fire across the table at the stranger, and the figure which had once been Ron erupted into flames. The dragon turned its head to look at Draco and he spoke, "A wolf's bane is not the same as a man's shame. Beware the one who knows this. He will arrive tomorrow night."_

 _"Take care of your words when you've this company, Dreugan." Came from the man on the back of the dragon, his accent thickly Scottish._

Draco woke with a start, the thunder in the hills against a pattering of rain and the occasional howl of his former Professor carried by the wind were not the only things he heard. Granger was breathing shakily next to him, as though she were frightened, she whispered his name in the dark. Just before he could ask her if she was alright, she asked him, "Can I come lay with you?"

As he wrapped his long arms around her, he put the dream to the back of his mind.

Hermione left the tent to speak with Lupin again and so Draco could put clothes on. Draco watched that perfect little ass leaving the tent with mild frustration. If only the wolf weren't here… The dream occurred to him again. He needed to talk to her about it.

He began contemplating telling Lupin about it. If Greyback were coming to attack them- even injured- they would need the strength of Lupin's dark side to be present. There was a great many things which Draco feared in this world, but the Dark werewolf was top of his list. He analyzed the message over again and wondered if it could possibly be any other wolf. He rejected the notion. The message seemed to be pointing him towards a werewolf which had not only accepted the dichotomy of the change, but perhaps had lost the split altogether. Only Greyback fit that bill.

He was buttoning his shirt when he heard a rustle in the bushes. The soft voice of Hermione he'd not been paying particular attention to was silenced by the noise, also. That meant that Lupin had tensed to protect them. Draco grabbed his wand and crouched next to the opening of the tent, prepared to attack if necessary. He pulled up his mental map of the campsite and guessed about where Hermione was based on her voice's direction from a moment ago. He was prepared to jump out as soon as he felt he could get the jump on their attacker.

He heard a whisper and relaxed minutely when he heard his woman answer- challenging the newcomer for the password. He heard another whisper and the leaves surrounding them move as the newcomer entered their clearing. "Good morning, Mr. Potter," He heard Lupin say, slightly louder than was needed. He mentally thanked the wolf for the courtesy and buttoned the last two buttons on his shirt before climbing out of the tent flap and back into the morning sunlight.

Harry stood there just letting go of Hermione from a hug as Draco stood. "Potter," He sneered in greeting. "Learn how to aim a wand already."

Harry stepped forward and offered Draco his hand. His face was serious and he answered, "I'd say you ought to pay more attention to your surroundings, but I feel right awful about hitting you." Draco shook his hand. "I am sorry, mate." Harry finished.

Draco shrugged and let himself smile. "No hard feelings, Potter. How are Arthur and Molly?"

Harry looked sadly away. "Heartbroken. Their son…" He sighed and seemed to shake himself. He pulled a container out of his bag and handed it to Draco with a lopsided grin, "From Molly for ya."

Draco opened the container to find biscuits and mini pies. He grinned at Harry again. "Thanks."

They cooked breakfast and made coffee before Draco finally figured out that he needed Harry to be there this evening also. He decided after breakfast would be a good time to talk about it.

They finished eating and he cleared his throat before speaking- reminding himself of Ron and wanting to punch himself. "We need to talk about some things."

Hermione looked at him sharply and he nodded to her. "Harry, remember that statue Hermione got me for my birthday?"

He explained to them briefly what had been happening in his dreams. Hermione, being the type of girl she was, fetched the journal with the information in it in case he or she wanted to reference it.

"So for the past few nights it's been the same message, Stay secret. Keep hidden. Your light will come unbidden. And last night after," He had a near slip of the tongue but corrected it, "The storm, I had another dream. In this one," He went over the dream in detail. Lupin frowned darkly at the first part of the dragon's message. "I take it to mean that Greyback is coming looking for us." He finished, aware that he had rarely spoken this much in either of the men's presence.

Lupin picked up a rock and began messing with it in his hand as he thought. Harry leaned back in the grass, resting his weight on his hands and staring at the leaves surrounding them.

"So what changed before the dream changed?" Harry asked distantly.

Lupin answered before either Draco or Hermione could respond, "Snape came yesterday and the last thing he said was 'Keep hidden'. The light that comes unbidden though…" He thought about it. Suddenly Draco found Lupin staring at him fiercely. "Did you…?" He asked. Draco nodded. Lupin smiled softly and told him, "Was he dream before or after that? And the truth this time."

Draco thought about it for a second, "I said after, but I'm pretty sure it was before now that I think of it." He glanced at Hermione and she was blushing profusely. Harry looked a little green.

"And we're sure this is a prophetic dream?" Harry asked.

"They've been that way for the other dreams involving the dragon," Draco answered. "I don't think there's much difference in this one, other than the guy calling me Dreugan. That was the only weird bit."

"Dreugan is Gaelic for Dragon, Draco. He was calling you by your name, I think," Hermione answered him.

"So the wolf is coming for a visit." Lupin mused, leaning back. "I suppose we ought to prepare. Hermione, can I have another Wolf's Bane potion?" She handed it to him after digging it out again. "Let's get started."

The rest of the day was spent rigging pressure traps around the easiest entry points. Hermione exhausted her travelling library trying to research possible defenses against werewolves and so began weaving nets for the traps at the request of Lupin. Harry and Draco took turns climbing trees for the nets to swing from.

By nightfall, Lupin's condition was beginning to affect him and he was panting in pain. They ate light and waited for the moon to rise.

Draco lay on his back morosely staring at the reddening clouds above them, wondering about Ron's decision to turn to the Dark. He tried and failed putting himself in the place of the ginger. He knew that Weasley had an inferiority complex, and maybe it had been exasperated by Draco's friendship with the Weasleys, Granger, and of course Potter. But the Weasel never caught on that me and Harry had become friends… are we friends? Probably. He probably thought since I had taken his place, he would go off and take mine, or something retarded like that. He smirked to himself in the slowly reddening light.

* * *

 _-I told him where we all live and about the Headquarters, and then we talked about our resources. That man wanted to know so much for the life of Malfoy that I thought even Snake-Face thought him more important than anyone else._

 _-Were you tortured? Did he simply ask you and you answered?_

 _-They used Crucio a few times when I first came in, because they thought I was there to kill them or something. But I wasn't. They proved me honest before they led me to that place._

 _-What about after?_

 _-Afterward they took me into a room with Greyback. He told me they had ordered him not to bite me. He told me he wouldn't want me in their ranks either, since I'd turned to fast. And then he Crucioed me again just for the fun of it, I think. Then he cast Imperius on me. It was a wonderful feeling. Like flying. I don't remember much of what happened until I was returned to the Burrow._

 _-Why? Why did you do this, son?_

 _-Because you always left me behind. There was no way for me to ever succeed in your eyes. You left me behind for Malfoy, Hermione did too. I had no family left, no girlfriend. Only Harry was still my friend and even he was defending that Death Eater! Voldemort could give me what I wanted. He could make me important…_

* * *

Draco heard a distant howl and sat up, staring at Lupin's face. The professor was smelling the air with his eyes half-lidded. He opened them fully to look at the sky and told them, "I'll change shortly…" He had a deep frown on his face when he looked at Draco again.

"What is it?" Draco asked with concern.

"That's not Greyback." The professor told him.

The pain had been unbearable.

His new father had warned him.

It didn't help the pain go away. He was finally done with his transformation and there was a creak when his cage was opened.

He stood on his back legs and howled at the glowing sphere which allowed him to smell in colors and to see in shades of rage. It was a wonderful division. He no longer had to be ashamed of his emotions, he could attack and eat everyone he came across.

He sang a song of meat in his new throat.

There was someone he was supposed to find, his father reminded him in yips and growls. The one who stunk of deceit, who had stolen his life. Malfoy. He would be in his belly by the end of the night. He rubbed against the legs of the lady who had freed him and ran. He heard another howl in the distance and ran in that direction.

He never wanted to stop running.

He found His scent. It looped around trees and crossed streams, but the nose which came with this new body wouldn't lose it. He bounded down and up through valley and over hill. There was a wood coming up, the scent was stronger.

He could smell Her. He wanted to tear off her face and leave her to change for her betrayal. And yet the color of her scent was the most lovely one he'd seen so far. He wanted to destroy it and roll in it to drown himself at the same time. He growled ferociously, the feeling of it rumbling through his chest was indescribable. He heard gasps of fear coming from the wood before him, a little inward.

His ears perked forward, and he understood exactly where they were from the sound. He stalked silently forward preparing himself to destroy them. The darkness intensified around him as he came under the tops of the trees, but he was made to hunt and it bothered him not. He crept forward, hearing everything around him. They were frozen in fear, and he drank their pheromones in like it was the finest wine. They would be his first kill and then he would kill without need. Forever.

* * *

"What do you mean that isn't Greyback?" Harry asked incredulously.

"That is not the sound of my maker. Exactly as I said." Lupin said distractedly. He was grimacing in what appeared to be pain.

"Greyback is your maker?" Draco asked, shocked.

Lupin nodded at him and gripped his stomach, bending forward in his agony. His voice was becoming deeper and more animalistic as he answered, "Yes. The change comes soooon." The end nearly a howl.

Draco was afraid. Lupin took his Wolfsbane, right? He wouldn't hurt them. Right? He grabbed Hermione's hand and stepped partially in front of her- between her and Lupin's wavering form. She released his hand and he felt her small hand on his shoulder instead. He was grateful to have both hands free, and a sick wave of gratitude for her brilliance washed over him.

"You'll be fine," Lupin growled at them, while he seemed to be growing in front of them. His legs were changing as he knelt to the floor, gripping his face in his hands. His feet were becoming thinner and the heel was becoming elongated. His thighs thickened and his back arched as his shoulders began moving under the skin. There were sickening pops as his ribs broke and realigned. Draco began realizing that the hair on his head was spreading across the back of his neck, and the hands which covered his face were becoming more like claws as he watched. The clothes that Lupin was wearing had been stretching but in a moment of harsh tears and rips across his body, they came off in shreds around him.

Lupin lowered his hands to reveal an elongated snout and burning yellow eyes. Draco was relieved to see Lupin's concern across his expression. Lupin threw back his head and howled, the sound terrifyingly beautiful to Draco's ear, it seemed to call on some ancient wisdom within him that he needed to hunt down the creature who made it, but he easily ignored the feeling. Lupin stood still on all fours, looking at them, as though worried. Draco forced his body to relax, and tried to remember that this wolf was a man he respected greatly.

Hermione, from behind him, spoke in a wavering voice, "Professor?"

Lupin grinned and walked cautiously over to her. He affectionately rubbed his head on her leg as he passed. He went to Harry and strained his neck a bit to look the boy in the eye. He threw his head in the direction of where Harry was to hide, as though reminding them that they still had a plan to execute.

Draco and Hermione were to be sitting around the fire, pretending to know nothing of the ambush. Harry would be hiding in a tree near the entrance they most frequently used, at Lupin's advice since the smell would be strongest there. Lupin and Harry were already masking their scent by using mud on their skin, and Lupin was running off to rub himself over again, since the change had probably released his scent anew. It would only take Lupin a second to return from the bank of the stream, and with his enhanced senses he would have plenty of time to return if the Wolf got there before him.

Draco sat and Hermione joined him, looking a bit shaken. He was sure his own face looked the same. It is a terrifying thing to see a man change into a wolf before you for the first time. He took her hand to comfort her and she smiled at him. He kissed her hand, as he had done countless times before when they had a moment to themselves, and Potter cleared his throat dramatically from behind them. Hermione rolled her eyes and flipped Potter the bird over her shoulder, causing a chuckle to come from a tree. A minute passed, and Draco was becoming anxious.

It was a couple more minutes of waiting before they heard a coming silence from beyond their camp. There was a sniffing noise. Hermione looked at him with wide, terrified eyes and a fierce protectiveness washed over him. He pulled his wand. There was a deep growl and both of them cried out in fear. He pulled her close to his chest and held his wand steady in front of them. They stayed frozen, listening for any movement around them.

Draco whistled through his teeth as soon as he heard a muffled scratch against the tree Harry was hidden in. Another growl permeated the clearing and Draco forced himself to remain still.

He felt eyes watching them and finally looked behind him. Through the bushes he saw a pair of gleaming eyes reflecting the firelight. He tried to not let himself jump in his surprise, but the tightening of his arm around Hermione must have alerted her to his fear, because she started to turn also. "No," He whispered. "Stand. Get behind me." He told her as he stood himself.

The wolf finally stepped through the bushes with some difficulty, but not where one of the traps were, Draco noticed with disappointment.

The wolf lazily walked around them in a semi-circle, growling. He stood on his back legs, slouching forward and roared at them. He went to charge but in a blur of motion, Lupin jumped from his own hiding spot and tackled the strange wolf to the ground.

It was vicious- to say the least. Both wolves were going for blood, both growling, it was hard to figure out who was winning. They snapped their jaws with hard clicks and swiped at each other with their paws, trying to grab the other so their teeth could become the weapons they were. The red wolf had Lupin pinned for a moment, but Lupin wriggled out of the hold and went after the other's throat in a swift move. The red haired wolf froze, unsure of what to do, and Lupin cruelly threw him onto his back and managed a better pin on the other wolf.

Lupin looked up at Hermione and nodded his head. She waved her wand extravagantly and shouted "Homomorphae!" But nothing happened. She shrugged, "Worth a try anyway." Instead she bound the red wolf with ropes from her wand.

Harry and Draco lifted the tied wolf and threw him into one of the traps. The trap enclosed the wolf in a net and hung him from the tree which the trap was suspended from. Harry added a muzzle onto the wolf and grunted his satisfaction.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Hermione said, staring up at the wolf.

The wolf growled menacingly at them.

"As always when it comes to Weasley." Draco spat.

"Wait, that's Ron?" Harry stared hard at the wolf who jumped forward as though to snap its jaws closed around Harry's throat. Hermione was examining him closely also.

Draco didn't answer. _Take care of your words when you've this company, Dreugan,_ was running through his head.

"Well, I think we ought to take turns on watch." Hermione said, changing the subject.

"Unless Lupin can stay in the area and keep an eye?" Harry asked looking at Lupin.

Lupin looked at Harry hard and then looked longingly toward the forest to the side of them.

"No, he's right, that's unfair to ask of him." Draco said, and regretted it. Everything which came out of his mouth this evening seemed to be a backhanded insult to the captured Weasley.

Hermione yawned, "I suppose being the lady, I ought to go first."

Draco smirked, "To bed, that is. Get to bed. Potter and I will argue about who should go first."

Hermione frowned but listened to his instructions.

They walked to the rock which Lupin had favored earlier in the day and spoke in hushed tones. Lupin paced around the net, sniffing the captured wolf.

"I can go first, Malfoy. Hermione will want to talk to you, I'm sure. Make sure to keep your voice down, Weasley can hear very well."

"He's Weasley now?"

"When he became an enemy of everyone who ever loved him, he did. We've avoided the topic without argument, which I appreciate, Malfoy. I've never been so betrayed." He was frowning horribly and his eyes were bright with anger. "And for him to try to come kill you. He's not the guy I thought I knew. Is this what growing up is? You find out you never know who someone is until it's nearly too late?"

"I think… you don't always get to find out beforehand, other times, you don't get to know because they're standing over your grave. We've been lucky up till now. Maybe it's just the harshest lesson of war."

Harry looked into the distance without seeing. Draco had learned already that this meant he was deep in thought about something. "Are we at war? Or are these just skirmishes?"

"You don't know the start of a war until historians tell of it." Draco answered, rubbing his forehead.

"Hm. I guess you're right." Harry grinned at him, "Ya hear that? I just told you you're right. I reckon the world must come to a stop soon enough."

Draco smiled thinly and asked, "Are we friends Potter? Or is this a situation like the old adage, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'?"

"Well, I'm not watching you in your sleep, now am I?" Harry told him with a nod toward Ron.

Draco smirked, "Good. Then I'll turn in, wake me around…" he calculated, "One A.M.?"

Harry nodded and clapped his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Hermione used magic. We'll have to leave in the morning."

Draco nodded and looked at the bound wolf. He was saddened, to his own surprise, that the boy who was forever suspicious of Draco's actions would never be free again. Things can never be simple. He thought to himself. He tucked his hands in his pockets and slowly walked toward the tent with his head lowered. He pondered to himself, He's broken his parents' hearts and broken Hermione and Harry's along the way. A cursed life is one he deserves. Maybe more than he deserves. Maybe he deserves no life at all for his betrayal. He pulled back the flap still deep in thought.

His interior monologue was interrupted by Hermione's angry voice, "I'm sure you told me that you wouldn't order me around outside of the bedroom, Draco." She said in greeting.

Having no drive to fight with her he answered, "My apologies, Love, but I did not intend it to be an order."

"Oh." She looked surprised.

He sighed. "Were you angry about it or did you want a fight?"

"I was a bit angry. Sorry. I took it the wrong way." She took a deep breath and looked away for a moment.

"We've had a hard day. Sleep?" He asked once he counted to ten.

She smiled at him gently. "Ok. We can't really talk about other things at the moment."

Draco nodded.

A/N: Ron being a werewolf kinda came out of nowhere. I was surprised, and I hope you guys were too!


	12. Chapter 11

Harry shook Draco hard, he was frightened and wanted the pale wizard at his side for the coming battle he sensed. "Malfoy. I need you now." Harry said.

Draco's eyes opened, groggily. "Whaizit?" He asked, his throat feeling full of fuzz.

"I need you awake. I feel someone is near. Get up."

Draco sat up, forced himself to stand. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared hard at the Boy Who Lived. "Speak."

Harry sighed, then told Draco, "There is silence. Silence like when Ron came close, but no growls or anything. He has tensed, and I don't know what he can hear. We're in danger, I can feel it."

Draco grabbed his wand and debated waking Hermione and ordering her to pack everything in case they needed to flee. He knelt next to the small witch who was in possession of his heart and smoothed her unbound hair gently away from her face. Sighing, he began to shake her awake. She growled in irritation. "Get up. We may be on the run soon. Stay in here and pack, we'll defend as long as we can."

She sat up, looking groggy. "Time is it?"

"Near midnight. Come on, Malfoy." Harry answered. His anxiety was increasing as they delayed. He turned and left the tent without waiting for an answer.

Draco followed after a gentle touch of Hermione's face. She looked at him fearfully before he left.

Harry stood rigid, staring around the site, trying to understand the dread he was feeling. He felt the presence of some unknown and great darkness surrounding the area. He felt watched. Looking towards Ron, he noticed the wolf was lying still, but his ears were flicking all around him as though listening to something which Harry was unaware of.

The movement of the tent behind him broke his reverie.

Draco stood nearly a head taller than Harry, but was more slender. Harry's thicker body was made for hard work or hard fights, whereas Draco's was made to be inspiration for works of art, or a successful modeling career. Harry knew Draco could fight- not just in the Wizard ways, but in various kinds of fist fighting techniques they had learned under Moody's tutelage. They had both learned to fight well, but to look at Draco's frame, no one would ever believe it. They were both tensed, Draco's shoulders were squared, and he held his arms slightly back from his body, fists clenched. Harry had his arms crossed and sternly looked around them for any sign of movement.

At first the silence around them was complete, and Draco began to wonder if the Scarhead was imagining things. The he heard a very quiet sniffing from near the tree where Ron was hanging from.

Neither of them jumped when there was a growl heard through the silence. Harry's shoulders squared more fully and he loosened his arms in preparation. They looked toward each other and nodded, stepping away from one another and put five meters between them, as they had been taught. They held their wands, prepared to protect each other and Hermione- even in the face of their own death.

Draco became quickly impatient waiting for it to start. He knew that they were surrounded, but by what he did not know. There was a soft step carried by the breeze from his right. He said in a hard voice, "Well, come on then. Let's go."

There was a movement in the leaves next to him and he tensed, a wolf jumped into the clearing. It growled and leapt to attack him. Without thinking, Draco flashed his teeth and whipped his wand around to cast Crucio on the wolf as it flew towards him. The whines and yelps from the animal were difficult to forget. He ended the curse just as he stepped out of the way.

The wolf landed on the ground and panted in pain for a moment before shakily getting to its feet and howling. Draco used a levitating spell to throw this one into a nearby tree with a sickening crack.

The rest of the pack stepped into the clearing, three of them getting caught in the pressure traps. The pair were soon surrounded by at least a dozen growling wolves. Draco whistled loudly to get the attention of Lupin again and with a nod to Potter they began cursing the wolves around them. The lights from their wands lit the clearing in brilliant varying colored lights.

Harry froze some of the wolves which attacked him, others he used Sectumsempra to slice off ears if they went near the tent. There was little mercy from the wizards in this beginning skirmish of the Second Wizarding War. But at the same time, Harry's morals were still intact, and he made sure to injure them only. Even those which he injured, the injuries were not as horrible as those which Draco threw.

A bone-chilling howl came from outside the grove of trees and the wolves paused, as though listening to it. Another wolf entered the clearing and stood in challenge to the others. He growled ferociously, his ears back and baring his fangs. Four of the biggest wolves went to attack the newcomer and the rest circled Harry and Draco, some bleeding, others limping, and the remaining were looking fearful.

The wolves attacked Harry first, Draco had plenty of time to react with his own Sectumsempra, he shook his wand quickly, slicing deeply into the wolf attacking Harry from behind and protecting him. Harry nodded to him in thanks and threw a bolt of lightning from his wand at a wolf next to him.

Draco's wand was knocked from his hand by a wolf Harry knocked from his path. Not bothering to pick it up, he grabbed his next wolf from behind her jaw as she lunged and- using her own momentum- threw her into the embers of the fire. The embers flared under the fur of the she-wolf and she leapt up. Her smoldering fur stunk horribly, but in the heat of the battle, no one noticed.

He saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned in time to punch a wolf in the snout as it nearly had him.

As he turned, he saw Hermione exiting from the tent, carrying her bag. Her hair was tightly pulled back out of her eyes and she looked murderously beautiful in the flashes of light coming from Harry and Draco's wands.

He was just about to shout for her to get back to safety when she waved her wand. She shouted something, but he didn't hear her words. His joke about obscure curses occurred to him. He was right about her, that she was a dangerous witch. He saw her become enclosed in white light which first collapsed inwards and then shot outward from her extremities. All of the wolves in the area were suddenly encased in bubbles of water and began hovering a couple of feet in the air.

The tent was gone, the fire out and Ron's net was gone, he fell to the ground with a solid smack. Apparently, she had done some complex magic, Ron was wrapped in ropes again, but the ropes were tied to tent posts and he could not get up. His human form would be trapped even tighter than his wolf form.

Hermione looked between the boys and asked, "Which one is Lupin? We need to find him. Touch your wand to the water and it'll change to a cage." Her tone seemed to be harsh.

"How long do we have?" Draco asked quickly.

"About a minute until they start passing out. A few more before they die."

Harry and Draco walked forward without further discussion, realizing the time constraint. They were looking closely at the wolves as they passed. They transfigured the balls of water into cages as they passed. Hermione followed them, placing silencing charms around the cages so the wolves couldn't communicate with any other wolves, including each other. "This one, I think," Harry said approaching the only wolf which was not snapping at the sides of their watery cage. He was looking at them as calmly as he could with no air in his lungs.

Hermione peered closely at the wolf and nodded, she ended the curse, catching him with a levitating spell. The wolf took shaky breaths as he floated to the ground. He yelped as he landed raising one paw.

Hermione rushed over and looked at the wound. "A bite." She grinned at her professor, "Good thing you're already a wolf, right?" The wolf grinned at her. She healed his injury and turned to the boys. "And you two?" She put her hands on her hips, "Are you ok?"

Draco raised a brow and looked down at himself. No wounds that he could see. He looked to Harry and noticed a bit of blood on his ear. "Potter, you've got blood there," He pointed.

Harry raised his hand and wiped at the blood. Hermione grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward to look for a wound. She muttered a cleaning spell over his head and could see no injury. "Must have come from one of them," Harry said with a vague gesture to the captured wolves.

"What will we do with…?" Draco nodded to Ron.

"Leave him. Obviously, we can't hold him now." Harry answered harshly.

The night was darkening. Hermione looked up and commented, "The moon is setting. Well, they probably were the first wave. Let's get out of here."

They Apparated to several locations before arriving at a cottage which Ron had not known about. Hermione had a hold of Lupin's body so he could side-along with her. On their final arrival, she let him go and he gave himself a brisk shake and trotted off into the woods around the building. The cottage which stood before them was covered mostly in ivy, but the original stone structure could be seen through the leaves in some places. It was still very early morning, and dark, but the age of the place seemed to seep through its walls.

It was in the Black family, but had remained unused for centuries. Hermione had found it in an old contract and had kept it hidden from everyone except Draco. The wards would keep everyone except the remaining Black members out. However, Draco had a theory about being able to keep them out as well. "It's called ownership, Potter. I'm a member of the Black family, and will remain so until I die, since my 'treachery' was revealed after I was already an adult. I can't be blown off the family tree since I'm the last remaining male member. Even then, that's a little iffy," Draco was saying as they approached the cottage.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Standing before the front door, Draco said "Quaero istam proprietatem. Mos maiorum meorum concedere?" The door creaked open. Draco grinned. He walked in and told them, "Please enter as my guests."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and broke out laughing. They walked inside, trying to contain their giggles at his formal request.

Draco told them to sit in the living room so he could have a look around for any potential threats. He looked through the house, counting bedrooms and demanding the house remove its' dust and open its' windows to the warm summer night. There was no reason to fear though, regardless of how long the house had remained dormant. Its' wards were similar to those of the Manor, so nothing could enter without invitation of an owner.

"Three rooms. Two baths. When Lupin changes back, he can take one room, Hermione and I can share one and Harry can take the last. Everything is dusted and the windows are open. No danger signs, but don't go poking around until we can have a look around in the morning." Draco told them.

"How are you the last male member?" Harry asked again, curious.

"Well, the last direct male descendants were Sirius and Regulus. Sirius was blasted off in… the mid Seventies, I think and Regulus died the year before I was born. My Great Aunt did a lot of blasting off, from what I remember. All other descendants were female. So I'm the last male." He shrugged. "It's not that hard."

"Are we ready to go to sleep, yet?" Hermione asked with a yawn.

They went to their beds, grateful for the ability to use their wands to clean the beds and quickly clean themselves before climbing between the sheets. Hermione and Draco slept apart for propriety's sake.

The next morning was spent caring for the house and tidying up. They tried figuring out ways to make the cottage bigger so they could have the rest of the Order safe with them.

Lupin hollered from the front of the house, "Hello? Is this the right place?"

Draco opened the door, leaning against the jamb and crossing his arms he said, "Well, well. Seems you've found your way back. Belly full of deer meat today?" Lupin stood in the clearing in front of the cottage, covering his crotch in embarrassment at his nudity.

Hermione started to walk to the door, and Draco motioned her back. "He needs clothes, Hermione. Can you get some, please?"

She nodded and retreated. Harry came back with clothes for Lupin. Draco looked at him questioningly, "She's embarrassed to see him without clothes." Harry said in answer.

Draco walked out and handed his former professor some clothes and lead him around the corner to dress and stood by while he did so. "Where is this?" Lupin asked gruffly.

"I can't tell you right now. I need your password," Draco answered, touching his wand in his pocket.

"Hundredfold. It's me, Draco." Lupin said tiredly. He seemed to be exhausted, Draco realized. He tried to remember when the professor had been asleep. For a few hours the day before, Draco remembered, but not really much else that Draco could remember before that since they had met four days prior.

Draco glanced around the clearing before him, "Alright. I'll tell you inside, where no one can overhear."

Lupin grunted and Draco heard a zipper going up. "Decent," Lupin said.

Draco turned to look at him as Lupin buttoned a shirt and asked, "Are you just a wolf? How did you take down so many last night?"

Lupin frowned. "That's a hard question to answer. They were young. Many had never fought another wolf before. I had an advantage."

"Where was your maker, I wonder?" Draco asked, watching his former professor slipping his feet into a pair of shoes.

Lupin looked angry, he sardonically answered, "Not there. I don't know where he is. I didn't even smell him on the wolves we encountered last night."

Draco frowned in thought, noticing the irrational anger radiating off of the werewolf. He glanced at Lupin and asked, "Ready?"

Lupin nodded and Draco invited him in as formally as he had Harry and Hermione.

Lupin had been in the cottage for little over an hour and he and Draco had been arguing about everything they possibly could. Over brunch, they discussed the sleeping arrangements. Draco and Lupin were arguing about Draco's idea to sleep with Hermione. Hermione and Harry were watching the argument as if they were watching a tennis match, neither saying a word.

Lupin was saying, "I just don't think it's appropriate for you two to be sharing a bedroom."

Draco put his fist on the table with a thump. His anger was barely in check. Lupin had been pushing his buttons all day, it seemed. He sat forward aggressively, his brows knitted together, "We don't know what the wards will and will not allow yet. Would you be more comfortable with sleeping with a male former student? I know that I am not comfortable sleeping with another man, but I may be the exception." He sat back and crossed his arms.

Lupin looked uncomfortable. "Have we tried adding a bed into one of the bedrooms?"

"Not yet. I'll emphasize, this is an option, and probably the best one in the case that the house won't do it yet. You have to understand, this isn't my property. Not really. I have only a bare minimum claim on this place by the way the wards work. The wards are letting us stay for now, but we probably don't have much say in decorating. I don't think we should argue about everything right now."

"Well, I will argue as long as you're wrong and continue to fight admitting it."

"What am I wrong about?" His aristocratic face was quickly darkening in rage.

Lupin counted on his fingers, "You don't know enough about the wards here to feel as safe as you appear to feel. You don't even know if they have searched through the contracts at Grimmauld Place. Your behavior suggests you think yourself the leader of us. We are not following you-" He would have continued, but Harry cut him off.

"Look, Lupin, it's been a hard night for all of us. You're attacking him with no reason." Lupin opened his mouth to speak, Harry overrode him, "That's enough! You act like we should know everything that's going on around us, and we can't. None of us are the leader, we are trying to work together, remember? We have to test the wards. Draco's just offering an option for if the wards don't let us do what we want."

"And, honestly," Her voice sounded frustrated, "Think about it. Draco and I lived together for a month. It's not a big deal," Hermione interjected. "This is a time of war, sleeping arrangements should not be our top priority."

"Fine, then you lot figure it out. I've not slept in days, and I'd like a chance to." Lupin said after a moment of thought. Harry stood and led Lupin to a bedroom.

"So, when Harry gets back, let's talk about last night, ok?" Hermione said. Draco nodded and they both looked moodily off into their own distance.

Harry entered the room again and huffed. "Lacking sleep is one thing, but Merlin that man was irritable."

Draco smirked. "So, Granger, last night?" He invited.

"Yeah, Hermione, what was that spell?" Harry asked.

"It was a spell similar to Fiendfyre." She told them simply.

"Dark magic?" Draco asked incredulously.

She nodded, looking down as though ashamed. "But it's not really bad, you know, it's probably the least dark magic there is in the classification. It's just a mild torture."

"It was brilliant!" Harry said with a laugh. "Torture or no, it ended the fight with no losses."

"Do either of you know if that was Greyback's pack?" Hermione asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Lupin said he couldn't even smell Greyback on them. I would venture to say it wasn't. Do we even know who turned Weasley?" Draco answered.

"Well, I'd assumed it was Greyback, simply because he was Imperio-ed by him during his 'stay' with Snake-Face." Harry answered with doubt in his voice. "But then, Ron also said Greyback told him he didn't want him in his pack since he had already turned against us."

"So," She said slowly, "We don't even know if we were attacked by that sociopath."

"I love how we always avoid using his name. Is it a taboo? Can we honestly not use it?" Harry asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Better to be safe than sorry, Potter," Draco answered dryly.

Hermione nodded absently. "Well, Ron did also mention that Greyback was forbidden to bite him. Maybe it was at another time which we didn't ask about during his interview, or even by another wolf while he was under the curse. I guess we will never know."

"Ah, forgot to thank you, Malfoy for saving my arse, literally, last night."

Draco chuckled, "You know, I hadn't even noticed I did. Literally, that is. You made me drop my wand by throwing a wolf at me. Is this how you repay your friend?"

Harry looked worried, "No, I'm sorry. I thought there was at least two meters from where you were to where I threw that wolf."

"Need to work on your aim, Potter," Draco said, laughing.

Hermione giggled. "What did you do, Draco? Throw the wolf back?"

"No, I had to defend myself. Sent one into the pit for the fire, didn't you notice the smell?" He answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, that's why I came out," She answered, still smiling.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping your brilliance a secret? Well as much as you can be?" Harry asked.

"Well, of course. There will be a dramatic battle eventually, and I know if everyone is underestimating me then I have a better chance of getting close to the dangerous Dark Wizards we will be fighting against." The boys nodded. "But, I didn't think that werewolves who probably refused to take Wolf's Bane potion would remember who I am. Plus the burning hair would mask my scent, another protection for who I am." She looked at them as though this should have been obvious.

Harry's mouth was open, he was astonished. "How the hell did you become such a good strategist?" He asked.

She looked sheepishly at Draco, "Some of it is natural. The rest was taught to me by your friend, here."

Draco slouched back and basked in the praise, smirking. "Being a double agent had its' advantages, to be sure," He said nonchalantly.

"Can we talk about Ron for a minute?" Hermione asked, suddenly.

"Wow, great transition, Granger. Alright, what are we to talk about?" Draco drawled.

"How are we ever going to figure out who turned him? And how did he get out of the Manor? How did he find us? Did someone put him on our scent?"

"Most of that we can only speculate on, Hermione." Harry answered. "We won't know the answers until we catch him again, but probably never- even then. He's a liar, untrustworthy, and," Harry stopped talking and took a deep breath. "He's now our enemy." He looked pained to say it.

Hermione touched his arm, gently and told him, "Harry, we know this enemy, at least. We know his motivations. Don't ever forget that I am your friend."

Harry nodded. "I know. But this is the ultimate treachery." He sighed and looked at the window to his left and rested his chin on his hand. "We know his motivations, sure but what could he be telling snake-face about ours?"

"He may know your motivations. But he does not know mine, Potter." Draco's icy tone broke through Harry's introspection. "And no one in the Death Eaters does either to offer their own information."

Harry looked back to the pale Wizard, looking surprised. "I hadn't even thought of that. Now that I think of it, Hermione, didn't you make Ron take a Wizarding Oath to not reveal any information about you to the Death Eaters?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't be a good secret weapon if I hadn't."

The rest of the day they tried thinking of anything they could which might make the house change the decorations. Nothing worked. The attempts at anything as simple as changing the wallpaper proved fruitless.

They couldn't increase the size of the beds, nor could they add one. There was no way to add a couch in any of the rooms.

At one point while Hermione was in the loo, Draco told Harry simply, "Your former friend turned his back on everyone, Potter. He sold you out because in his deranged mind, you were simultaneously a hurdle in his path to his imagined glory, and also a tool to use to get him to his goal. He's played his hand. His treachery is worse than mine, but only because he turned you over for his pretend life. He's playing dirty, Potter. Trying to get you to react," He looked at Harry with a frown. "If it weren't for Hermione and I, you would have already. This attack was just a way to try it again."

Hermione walked into the room and Draco stopped talking.

Harry grunted in response, and thought about what Draco had told him for most of the rest of the day. Harry thought there was more to what Draco had intended to say, but Hermione coming into the room stopped him for whatever reason. Harry spent a lot of time wondering why Draco wouldn't want Hermione to hear their conversation.

They talked it over again and came to the conclusion Draco and Lupin had been arguing about earlier. There really was no easy way for them to sleep except for Hermione and Draco to share a bed, which pleased both of them inwardly.

Lupin did not wake before they went to bed that night, so Hermione and Draco did not feel as though they were doing anything bad, which was a relief. They dined again with Harry before going to bathe. The sun went down and they decided to go to sleep.

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind them Draco cast a silencing charm and pushed her roughly into the door. "How grateful I am that we have this time together, Granger," He growled. He kissed her gently, a sharp contrast to how roughly he pushed her against the door.

She moaned into his mouth, her body was violently reacting to his touch. He pulled back to look into her flushed face. She had a moment of doubt about his actions, "Draco, are you sure we should be doing this right now?" She asked, breathlessly.

"Are you questioning me?" He asked pressing against her harder with his body and forcing her face to the side so he could nip at her sensitive neck. "Are we in the bedroom? Don't you remember what you should do in here?" He asked her between kissing and gently biting at her neck.

Her heart was pounding. She desperately wanted him to touch her more intimately than he was. Her breasts were shoved against his chest and he had a leg pressed against her throbbing clit. "No, I mean… Yes? But it's just…" She trailed off, uncertain of what she should do.

"Mmm," Draco's lips pressed together tightly. "Questioning my decisions in the bedroom," He clicked his tongue as though chastising her. "Well, I suppose that warrants a bit of punishment, my dear." He grabbed her arms and threw her onto the bed.

She felt weightless in the few seconds she was floating through the air. She was half fearful of what he would do as she landed on the soft bed with a whoosh. She scooted up to the pillows when he ordered.

"Now, for your punishment… hmmm…" She was about to ask him what he meant, but he spoke before she could. "I think we should tie you down," He swished his wand and she was bound to the bedposts by her arms, but her legs were free. "And then I believe you deserve a bit of torture for your impudence."

"T-torture?" She asked hesitantly.

He smirked with narrowed eyes. "I think for you, a gag first." He waved his wand again and she was gagged. Her body clenched in excitement. He was tapping his wand on his chin, thinking about what to do. "I had other plans for you this evening. I think I can work some of it in, but first," Her vision was gone and she could feel a soft fabric covering her eyes. Suddenly, she realized that the only thing she could do is wait.

A/N: And so do you! Sorry, but 11 pages in Word is about where I stop for most chapters, and as much as I would like to continue to keep that up, I like stopping here. It's like I have dominance for a moment… It's a thing I always wanted to try. So here I am trying it! Also, Hermione's POV is easiest to write, since I am a girl, I understand the sexytimes to come better through her eyes, you know? Well, anyway, I'm gonna do the chapter and then a jump in time.

The phrase Draco used to enter the cottage was in Latin and translates to: "I ask for ownership of this house. Will my ancestors grant it?"


	13. Chapter 12

"This will be your first scene, Granger." Draco's voice came through the blindfold which was tied over her ears. The fabric made his voice a little muffled. He wasn't touching her. She was pretty sure he wasn't even on the bed. "I won't always be as gentle as I will be tonight. However, for safety's sake, if it becomes too much for you to handle, which I doubt, hit the wall with your knuckle three times and we stop immediately, understand?"

The bonds on her arms moved, instead of her arms being tied to the corners of the bed, they were tied together, on either side of her head under the pillow. The wall was just next to her fingertips so she experimentally closed her hand in a fist and touched the wall with her knuckle. She was a little worried, but she nodded in her understanding. They had gone over the safety procedures when he had explained all of this to her, but this was the first time he'd mentioned it since then.

He lifted one of her feet, and at his touch she jumped. She heard his chuckle, and felt him taking off her sock. He lifted her other leg and she did not jump, knowing he would.

She waited for him to continue. It was so strange how she was aware of his regard, but could not see it. She was trying to figure out where he was in the room, his silent movements had always surprised her, but tonight she would probably learn exactly how silent he could be. She was unconsciously straining her ears under the fabric to try to locate him.

An icy liquid feeling coated her chest and legs, and she made a surprised noise. She felt the weight of her clothing melting off of her and realized he had used wordless magic to remove them. A callused finger traced her hip bone and she felt her hips buck to the contact. In the strangeness of being blindfolded, tied, and gagged she had forgotten her own arousal.

"Ah, Granger. I was beginning to be concerned." His voice sounded like he was smirking. His finger touched her again, tracing her abdominal muscles barely visible below a small layer of softness. "Do you remember what I told you I would do to you?" His finger traced the underside of her breast and she could do nothing but whimper through the gag as her body throbbed in need. "You have no idea how mean I can be, do you remember that?"

She nodded. His breath whispered against her hip bone, tracing the path his finger just had. As he continued speaking the little tufts of air against her prone stomach distracted her from his words. "But tonight, you questioned me. And that means I can't show you as I'd intended." He reached the underside of her throbbing breast and he suddenly bit her lightly. She jumped and cried out through the gag in a strange mix of pain and pleasure. He kissed where he had just bit and whispered onto the dampened flesh, "It means, Granger, that you should get to see the sadistic side."

Her heart started beating harder. Sadistic side? But he said he wouldn't until I was ready… she thought. His breath was ghosting over her hardened nipple now. She realized that with the sensitivity of her nipple, if he were to repeat what he had just done… He blew on her nipple gently. A whimper escaped through her concern.

"Ah, but how I want to worship this body. Look at you. All tied up and waiting so patiently for your punishment. Your torture…" He had moved back, there was no warmth from his body radiating over her any longer. "You know what the best torture for you would be?" He waited as though expecting her to answer. She realized that he was torturing her. "This. This is your perfect torture. No control, no sight, no ability to say no. No way to answer when I question you." Even his arrogance didn't detract from the absolute correctness in his speech.

"I could whip you. I could bruise these perfect little tits of yours, Granger. I could even fuck your pretty little arse and then cane you until you can't sit for a week." His fingers traced the outside of her thigh closest to where he must be. The low throb from between her legs was intensified as he touched her. These threats made her grateful to him that he had chosen not to do them. She wasn't sure how much she could handle yet. "But you wouldn't learn your lesson."

He lifted her legs to bend at the knee and opened. She did not fight him. The bed moved slightly, she thought he was standing or moving somewhere. His silent movements were a bit unnerving.

She felt him nearby, her side was warmed from his body heat, she thought. "Physical punishments won't work well on you." He continued, further away than she had thought him to be. "But perhaps a little wouldn't hurt to emphasize the lesson."

He slapped her inner thigh and she cried out through her gag. The stinging pain seemed to race through her body. He did it again on her other thigh and she whimpered in mild discomfort. He smoothed his hand over the warming flesh and asked her, "Can you smell yourself, Granger? Look at how wet this pretty little pussy is." His fingers traced the wetness leaking out of her and she moaned into the gag. "My, what a dirty girl you are. So wet, and I've barely touched you."

She heard him groan under his breath after he took his fingers away and imagined that he had just licked her moisture off his fingers. "So fucking good, Granger." His breath was near her inner thigh again. She felt his warmth above her and imagined that he was kneeling next to her and leaning over her body to caress the soft skin leading to her aching core with his lips.

His tongue stroked into her folds suddenly and she arched into the pressure, wanting him to give her some release from the need burning through her veins. Her hip encountered his bare chest and she was too far gone to notice it. He kept the pressure too low for her to get much pleasure from it. Her inner walls were clenching painfully in want. She could feel his nose tickling her lips further down. He was carefully avoiding her clit and seemed to be simply enjoying how she tasted.

She heard him growl when she moaned and arched her hips to increase the pressure a second time. He moved his mouth away and a second later, the gag was removed from her. She smelled his pheromones growing stronger and she suddenly felt his hand on her chin turning her head to the side. "Suck my cock, Granger." He ordered above her.

She felt his hot skin pressed against her swollen lips. She pressed them forward slightly and kissed the head. He hissed in a breath above her when she licked her lips and touched him with her tongue unintentionally. She traced the bottom of his head with her flattened tongue before she opened her lips wider to take him into her mouth. She moaned as he slid past her lips, loving the silken texture of his skin. She sucked him deeper into her mouth and he groaned.

She experimentally tightened her lips and began thrusting her mouth against him. She increased her suction and stroked against him with her tongue after a moment and he growled, "Fuck, Granger. There's a good girl." She flushed under his praise. She sped up her rhythm and by the noises coming from him, he enjoyed it.

His callused hand suddenly grabbed her breast closest to him roughly. She moaned at the contact and took him a little deeper into her throat, he growled his appreciation. Her neck was beginning to hurt, but she ignored it. He was pinching her nipple harder than he ever had and she felt like she might orgasm from the painful pleasure he was torturing her with. "Granger, I'm going to cover these tits with my cum and then I'm going to eat that pussy until you scream for me to stop," He growled beginning to thrust into her mouth.

She moaned around him and allowed him to take over the speed. "Oh, fuck yes Granger. You let me fuck your face." She desperately wished she could have been playing with herself again. She felt like she had soaked the sheets below her. Her clit was throbbing in time with his thrusts and she sucked harder. There were tears leaking from her eyes from her fighting her gag reflex for so long. He groaned and pulled his throbbing member from her mouth and she felt ribbons of warm liquid landing on her breasts and stomach.

She felt him moving between her legs and from between them, he told her, "Fuck, I wish I had a camera right now. Look at you, Granger, covered in my cum and panting for my tongue." He pushed his tongue deep into her opening and fucked her with it roughly.

She nearly screamed at the contact. She had been so aroused for so long that she was like a bared nerve between her legs. He sucked her clit and thrust his fingers into her opening. Hermione could hear the squishy noises her own wetness made against him. She was just on the verge when he pulled his face back and began kissing her inner thigh while slowing his movements of his fingers to bare movement. She whimpered and raised her hips, trying to remind him what he was doing. He chuckled and began to place feathery kisses across her mound.

"Please, sir, please, can I cum?" She asked, trying to ignore how breathy her voice came out.

He rumbled against her, "No, you cannot." He continued kissing across her inner thighs and outer lips before he attacked her clit again. His fingers sped up within her once more and she felt her orgasm approaching. She was panting above him and biting her lips as he continued. She approached the precipice again and again he backed off the areas she needed him to touch.

"Please Mr. Malfoy," She begged, "Please let me cum." She was nearly sobbing in her need. She heard his groan and he attacked her clit, roughly sucking and licking it. His fingers were fucking her hard and fast, crooked upwards to hit her g-spot. The world collapsed around her mind as she exploded in orgasm, screaming her release.

She came back from her high to the feeling of Draco's tongue lapping against her languidly. He was making small noises in his throat from between her legs. She moaned as her arousal began again. She could feel his semen drying on her, and she wanted to wipe it off, but did not request it.

He licked her clit gently and she let out a shuddering moan. "Still going, then?" He asked. She bit her lip, not sure what to say. He moved and she felt his hardness pressing against her.

He whispered a cleaning spell and she felt his lips on her nipple. When it was perked to his liking he dragged his lips to the other and she couldn't help but open her legs wider, trying to get him to slip inside her. He teased her again, pressing into her opening and not quite entering. She tried thrusting upwards to get him inside her sopping entrance, but he was too quick for her.

He reprimanded her actions by biting the underside of her breast again, harder than he had before. She moaned.

Something was wrong with her, she suddenly decided. This wasn't normal, to be so aroused by pain. She pushed those thoughts roughly to the back of her mind. It's just Draco, he so incendiary by nature, I just don't care what he does to me. The thought should have caused a great deal of fear, but she couldn't think when he pushed himself just inside of her opening and she heard herself panting, "Please, please, please," When he pulled back.

She moaned her frustration as he continued biting and sucking her nipples. She felt like she might explode from what he was doing to her. He moved upward and began anew on her neck as she panted and arched against his hard body. She felt like she was near tears in frustration. "Please," She moaned as he found a sensitive spot under her ear.

"Please what, Granger?" He growled against her hyperaware skin.

"Please can I have your…" She bit her lip in embarrassment.

He stopped moving and pulled back a bit. "My what?" He asked, his voice sounding like steel.

She regretted speaking and told him, "Nothing, I'm sorry… Sir."

He leaned over her again and yanked her head to the side with her hair. It didn't hurt Hermione, it seemed like he might have part of the blindfold instead of her hair so to not hurt her. He whispered against her ear, "You want my cock, Hermione? Does prissy little Granger not like to use bad words?"

She felt her body reacting. It was so strange that she would be turned on by his apparent anger, but it happened and she made a mental note of the incident for them to discuss later. She nodded.

He pressed against her again, pressing against but not entering her. "Say it." He tightened his grip in her hair and pulled it a bit with one hand. With the other, he held her hip so she couldn't raise them to force his entrance.

Most of his body weight was against her and she could barely breathe. She knocked once against the wall with her knuckle. He released her hip and braced himself on that hand, she could breathe, finally. "You fucking say that you want my cock Granger, say you want me to fuck your wet little pussy with my big cock and I'll grant your wish." He thrust against her slightly.

She stopped herself from thrusting herself onto him. She opened her mouth to speak, "I want… your …" She paused, "Cock."

He growled above her, "Say the rest of it Granger, my patience is running out."

She rushed through the rest of what he wanted her to say, "I want you to fuck my wet little pussy with your big…. Cock."

He let go of her hair and grabbed her hips in both of his hands, raising her to him. He slammed himself into her, she cried out in her agonizing pleasure.

He fucked her hard and fast, grunting randomly. She found herself exploding in another orgasm after a moment and as her convulsions stopped he growled to her, "Fuck, I love this pussy Granger," He roughly grabbed her breast again. "It feels so good when you cum all around me."

She moaned at his words, experiencing a high like she never had in her life. Time around them seemed to stop. She had no idea how long it lasted. Colors intensified behind her blindfold. She suddenly focused on her senses. She could only smell their mixed scents. She could hear only his flesh pounding against hers. He was the only thing she could feel. She could still taste his precum on her tongue. She had never been so focused on any one person before in her life.

He slapped her hip and told her, "It's courtesy to thank someone for a compliment."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." She screamed as the world collapsed around her again. Tears leaked out of her eyes and it suddenly wasn't enough to tell him 'Thank you' just once. She said it again. He lifted her legs to his shoulders, opening her up more and hitting her deeper. "Oh, fuck," She whispered. He was hitting a spot deep inside of her that she had never even known existed. She could feel another orgasm approaching with each forceful thrust.

"You like it when I fuck you Granger?" He growled in response. She could hear his voice getting rougher as he said it. She thought he might be getting close to finishing.

"I love it when you fuck me, Mr. Malfoy." She cried, finding herself tipping over the precipice again.

Through the orgasmic fog she heard him grow in response, "You fucking better. I'm going to fill this pussy with cum, like it deserves to be. You want that Granger?"

"Yes, sir!" She said through the haze of her orgasm.

"Oh, fuck, Granger filled with cum," he muttered, as though he were picturing it. He thrust harder into her, ramming against her cervix and caused her to orgasm again. He thrust into her with a groan and she was aware of a mild pressure in her womb she assumed was his semen filling her.

He lowered her legs after a moment, ended the enchantment holding her arms above her head, untied the blindfold and conjured a glass of water that he handed to her, without a word. She winced at the light in the room, even though it was only candlelight. He helped her to sit up to take a shaky sip. She drank her fill, and he drank the rest, with sweat on his brow. They were both still panting.

She lay back down feeling strangely heavy. He cleaned the bed and her, then lay next to her. She glanced at him and asked, "Are you ok? You look worried."

"I was trying to figure out a way to explain something that I forgot to."

She lazily smiled. "I don't think I could absorb anything else tonight. I feel so relaxed and happy right now. But tell me anyway."

He cuddled up next to her and threw his hand over her stomach. "Well, that's what we need to talk about. I need you to remember that if you start feeling depressed to talk to me about it."

"Depressed?" She asked, feeling floaty and content.

"Yes. It's called sub-drop by some. I don't know if it will happen to you. It's different for all subs. Muggles say it's caused by huge amounts of feel-good hormones and as they recede, you might feel depressed and maybe a little paranoid. Just don't think it's weird. Talk to me about it."

Her eyes felt heavy, so she closed them and allowed his voice to wash over her like waves of information. She giggled at the image. He nuzzled into her hair and told her, "What are you laughing at, little hellcat?"

"Some image in my head." She sat up with some difficulty, her muscles screaming at her to just lay back but she ignored them. She went to the loo to clean herself and cast a contraceptive charm, just in case. She caught sight of her flushed face in the mirror and lifted her breast to see where he had bit her in the reflection. It was still red, but when she touched it, it didn't hurt. There was a strange pang of disappointment that he didn't bruise her, which startled her.

When she lay next to him again, he stroked the side of her face gently and traced the line of her tendon on the front of her neck. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" He asked.

"Was that real dominance?" She responded slowly. She still felt heavily drugged.

He smirked, "Yes. And you did wonderfully." He continued touching her gently and placed a kiss on her shoulder without lifting his head.

"Oh, I had something I wanted to talk about…" She said lazily turning to him. "Why did I have to ask for… you know…?"

"Pushing your limits, Granger. That's my job." He still stroked along her less sensitive areas.

She sighed in contentment, feeling loved. She decided to tell him of her disappointment another time when she yawned widely. "Sleep?" She asked.

The lights turned off with a wave of his wand. She curled against him and floated on the waves of her hormones.

Hermione walked into the kitchen to find a red-eyed Harry staring out the window. He was leaning against the counter with the sunlight glinting off his glasses.

"Morning, Harry. How did you sleep?" She asked cautiously as she prepared her coffee from a tin she brought in her beaded bag.

He sighed. "Not much. Too many thoughts." He looked at her. "You look well rested, though. Malfoy's snoring didn't wake you?"

She blushed, "No, it helps put me to sleep, weirdly." She averted her gaze, as though Harry would think less of her for what she and Draco had done the night before. He would never know, but just thinking about it in his presence made her feel as though he could read her mind. "Coffee and breakfast chat?" She asked, remembering more pleasant Hogwarts days when it was a normal thing to talk about things at the table that didn't always revolve around life and death situations.

He gave her a small smile. "That would be nice. I have been feeling very alone the last few days."

She looked up at him again, "Alone?" She had an inkling of what he meant, but she was pretty sure he'd wanted her to ask for elaboration. She could understand, sometimes in their friendship their feelings often got pushed off to the side and were not always as important as something so trivial as saving the entire Wizarding world.

His face was pained. "I don't know exactly how to explain it. Ron's… leaving has hurt me so much. We've talked about it, sure, but that doesn't make the pain go away. Hurting Malfoy twice in battle," She opened her mouth to speak, but he held his hand out to stop her, "I know they were accidents. He could have been easily killed in either situation."

He sighed and looked out the window again and the coffee machine Hermione had also brought with her and charmed to work without electricity gurgled in the silence. She simply waited. She knew her adopted brother well enough to let him order his thoughts. Regardless of how much support she wanted to offer, he needed to talk this one out before he would listen to her.

"I've offered my hand to him in friendship, and he has become a great friend over the course of the time I've gotten to know him- the real him. Then I sit and berate myself, thinking, 'How could Ron have fooled me for so long?' Seriously, Hermione. You knew that fuckhead… differently… than I. Do you …" He stopped his sentence and shook his head. "Never mind that last. He's a traitor. We know his motivations. Stupid as they may have been." He was angry, Hermione could see.

She thought he might be ready to listen now, so she told him, "The comparison that you're trying to draw between the two of them is that they both fooled you for longer than you're comfortable with?"

Harry thought about it, she could practically see the wheels in his head turning. "Yeah. You're right. I'm questioning my own judgment. My own instincts." He smiled at her more warmly than he had before. Grabbing her by the shoulder, he roughly pulled her into a hug. "You are the smartest person I ever knew." She giggled into his shoulder.

"I do believe I'm tied for that position, Potter," Draco drawled from the doorway.

Hermione looked over Harry's bicep with her eyebrow raised, "Really, Draco? Are you sure you want to get into this?"

He smirked. "We can settle it later." His stormy eyes flicking to Harry's face and then back to hers, "When we're alone." Hermione stepped out of Harry's arms, realizing that Draco was overly tensed and probably jealous. She turned to the coffee machine and poured the coffee into the mugs waiting for it.

"That's a fight I could sell tickets to." Harry chuckled, oblivious to the undertone to Draco's words.

Lupin walked into the kitchen, solemnly. "I feel I need to apologize to you all. I was completely out of line yesterday." He looked at all of them with his hands in his tattered jacket pockets. His shoulders were slumped in guilt.

Draco looked disinterested in the apology, but his voice betrayed his remaining anger, "Yes indeed you were, Professor."

Lupin looked up at the taller wizard, "You I would like to apologize to twice, maybe even three times. I attacked you without provocation and accused you of things which were not true. I'm sorry, Draco." He offered his hand to the young man.

Draco considered it. He shook Lupin's hand and told him gravely, "Some of them were true, and it does me well to hear it. Hermione is just pouring coffee, were you going to join us for breakfast?"

Lupin broke out into a grin, a strange sight on his scarred and normally serious face. "Sure."

They contacted the rest of the Order that morning after breakfast and informed them of what had occurred in the campsite. They were not asked, nor did they reveal where they were, as protocols outlined for their safety. They found out that Voldemort was suspected of taking over major sections of the Ministry and that Snape was reporting a staggering increase in Death Eaters, as though they were preparing for an assault. Snape had suffered a loss in status from Malfoy being discovered as a traitor and his father was the only Death Eater left in Azkaban after an attack on the prison.

It was glaringly obvious that the Malfoy name was cursed within the ranks of the Death Eaters. Snape had been asked several times about where Narcissa was hidden. He had been tortured several times for the information, but since only Harry and Lupin knew where she was, Snape's status had not been improved by his inability to turn her over.

The four of them made the hidden cottage their new base. Its' location seemed to be isolated enough for their proper protection.

Draco made the decision to go to Gringott's to buy the cottage from his family's estate. It had been a dangerous trip where he had flown all the way to London and all the way back, alone. Harry, Hermione and Lupin could not risk being seen. Malfoy stood some chance since most people would not know of the drama that was the result of his turning to the light. Most people only knew who he was by his hair, anyway, so they had dyed it with a temporary potion Hermione made. He'd become a black-haired Malfoy for two days- the first in a long line of blonde men from his family. The wards were slowly becoming accustomed to having an owner again. They could change the furniture and the elves came back to stay. They had learned that poor Pivoine had been killed when Ron had been released from the Manor. There was a gloomy week while everyone dealt with the death of the sad little elf who was so painfully shy that only Draco had ever heard her speak.

Their Hogwarts letters arrived and they sent back their official replies stating that none of them would be returning to their schooling that year. The magic of Hogwarts owls was evident. No other owls could find them, thanks to a request of the wards that proved more successful than anyone expected. Any letters which were sent to them would never arrive to them. The cottage was cut off from every form of communication except for one Floo connection to the Headmistresses private quarters once a week for thirty minutes. They still had their magic mirrors which worked, but other than that, they were alone.

The war seemed to be looming over their heads constantly. Hermione researched as much as McGonagall could Floo her books. Draco, Harry and Lupin practiced spells behind the cottage in a clearing behind some bushes. There was no road that anyone had ever found in their wanderings along the countryside, but the increased isolation of the area they used appealed to all three of them. Hermione told them several times that she only practiced her spells once a week.

"There is no real need," She had told them, "If you can understand the spell's workings," With a haughty expression on her face. Draco challenged her the same day to a practice battle and had to wait a full day afterward for his bruises to be healed from her viciously kicking his pure-blooded arse all over the clearing.

Hermione and Draco went for an afternoon walk every day. They walked mostly in silence and stayed on deer paths in the wood as much as they could. They didn't want to be seen by anyone. More often than not her clothing was transfigured into ropes and she would spend at least an hour at his mercy. The only times they kept their clothes on for the duration was during her monthly.

Lupin left one day as the leaves had begun to change. He seemed to be looking forward to something when he told them he was leaving. Draco gave him a questioning look, which Hermione caught from the corner of her eye, she watched Lupin smile in a strange way before he walked into the green flames to Hogwarts.

Harry and Draco left her only once before Lupin left to go on a Horcrux hunt. They came back with a pendant and destroyed it with a spell Hermione had come across in her research. That left only two more, by Harry's reckoning.

Time passed slowly in their seclusion. They had visitors occasionally for only twenty minute intervals. Luna came one week, Neville another. Molly and Ginny made a trip out to see them for a whole week, as they were late getting to the Floo on time to return. They played card games and passed the time. Molly often said it was like she was on vacation, the first one she'd had since she had her second child and decided to become a housewife. The cottage decided it wanted to give them a room.

She was sad, that much was obvious. She had been a mother for so long, her face was unreadable when it came to her own depression. Ron was the only child of hers who she might be disappointed in.

Late one night during their stay, Hermione was woken to a rhythmic squeak from across the hall and smiled to herself, knowing Harry desperately loved the little red-head, even if he hated her brother. Hermione cast a silencing charm in her and Draco's room to block the noise and went back to sleep.

If Molly had noticed that Hermione and Draco lived in the same room, she never mentioned it. Hermione would have been horribly embarrassed if the older woman had said anything. She found herself only able to speak to Draco about anything even remotely sexual as time had passed. Even their sleeping arrangements made her blush whenever it was brought up.

She was careful to heal any bruises which might show, but loved knowing that the ones below her clothing were there. Draco was not that sadistic by how he had described himself, but she had fragile skin. If he gripped her too tightly, sometimes she would wake to a bruise the next day. His fingertips were the most common thing to bruise her unintentionally. It was such a strange thing, she often thought to herself. That he would slap her on various parts of her body, but there would be no mark afterward. Then he would lift her legs or hold her in a certain position and she would have four bruises the next day in the shape of his fingers. He'd used various items at their disposal to 'punish' her, no bruises. Then she would find bruises on her hips from him holding her in place as he took her from behind against a tree.

She often thought about if she ever had to explain it to anyone. They would think her mad, likely. Tell her that he was abusive or some other such nonsense. From the outside, she would probably seem crazy. She could explain it through science as Draco had. But she had decided long ago that she would just never explain it to anyone. The only reason why she thought about it was because they lived with Harry and the risk of him finding her tied to a tree or her bedpost with Draco roughly holding her hair and thrusting deep inside her was reasonably high.

Snow fell for the first time in early October. Hermione and Draco's activities had to become indoor activities once again.

A/N: Gosh, I think I need to beg for a scene tonight. Big jumps in time coming, I want this to end in about 3 or 4 more chapters. I wanted their first real scene to be realistic. Hermione's lucky she didn't have to deal with a drop…


	14. Chapter 13

The silence of winter was broken by the coming war arriving at their peaceful area. Late April's greenery was just showing between patches of snow when they were finally discovered by the Dark.

The sunset had recently ended the daily training sessions between the boys. Harry and Draco were entering the parlor from the woods, both sweaty and stinking to high heaven. Hermione, meanwhile, was carefully transfiguring the magic mirror to be hidden more effectively among the odd assortment of ancient possessions littered in the cottage. She was just raising her head to greet them and had a quip on her tongue about their smell when an explosion rolled through the clearing in front of the cottage.

Harry dropped the cloak over his arm and spin toward the door. Draco positioned himself in front of Hermione, flattened against the door jamb to make himself into a smaller target should he be spotted by the intruders from the window. Hermione found herself sitting peacefully at the chair in the sitting room, not concerned.

A maniacal laugh echoed through the opened windows, one high pitched twitter which could only mean Draco's terrifying and utterly insane aunt had arrived on the scene.

"Drakie..." Her mad crooning voice fluttered through the curtains and Draco paled visibly. "Drakie, come out to play, dearest nephew."

Harry shot a frown toward Draco, as though he were reminding him of his duties to protect the bushy-haired witch idly sitting in the room. Draco gave him a nod in return and breathed slowly through his nose.

Hermione stood gracefully from her chair, seemingly unperturbed at the terror from both men flanking her. "No Drakie here, you harpy." She called as she took steps toward the door. Her lover and her brother watched her with wide, terrified eyes, both shaking their heads in negation of her actions. "But I'll come to play." She stepped next to Draco, as though intending to walk to the front door behind him.

He roughly grabbed her arm and looked at her sternly, not speaking.

She looked up at him with confidence written across her features. "We are not in the bedroom now, love," She whispered, using his term of endearment.

He frowned dangerously and looked as though he would speak. His aunt cut him off, "Is that a little Mudblood I hear? Or the blood traitor who fucks the scar head?"

Hermione whispered, "Fuck," In irritation at the correct guess made by the madwoman.

"Come out of the house little girl, I just want to talk!" The voice was quickly dissolving into her madness, the tones were unevenly shifting between a benevolent croon and a crazed shriek.

Hermione wrenched her arm from Draco's hand and stepped to the door with her wand in hand. She placed her small hand on the knob and a familiar growl came from the clearing, causing her to pause.

A pained yelp was followed by a muffled thump and Bellatrix screaming, "You fucking little mutt! Keep your trap shut as ordered!" Her voice became a croon once more. "I seem to have forgotten your friend's leash. Or is it your brother?" Her mad tittering came again through the cottage. "I won't know until you open the door," She sang.

Hermione clenched her wand tighter and turned the knob.

As the moonlight illuminated the scene before her, she knew true terror for the first time. A semi-circle of Death Eaters stood solemnly, their identities hidden by their silver masks, shining in the moonlight. Each of them had a werewolf at their side and two giants hunkered in the tree line. There were darting figures in the trees which may have been vampires, awaiting a chance to strike.

They were outnumbered by a lot. Hermione's face gave nothing away.

"What shall we play, then?" Hermione asked the unmasked and wild haired figure before her. "Pin the tail on the Death Eater?"

Bellatrix tittered, "I'm sure we would all love to have a riddling contest. I'll start, shall I? Where is my nephew?"

"That's no riddle," Hermione answered with no small amount of an impudent tone.

"Not a riddle? What would a filthy Mudblood know about riddling?" Her scream ended with a nonverbal spell, its bright blue light rocketed toward Hermione. She made no move, but the light hit an invisible shield inches from her face.

Hermione took a graceful stride downward and flattened her foot on the lower step of the stoop. Her hands were gently clasped over her waist, her wand held between them. "A Mudblood, am I?" Her voice mirroring the condescension of her movements. She stood on the grass with a serene look around. "And yet you come to me for information." She tsk-ed at them as though disappointed. Another spell flew from her right, and again was deflected inches from her seemingly unprotected body.

Bellatrix hissed and pointed her wand at the offending Death Eater who had cast the Imperio at the small woman in Muggle jeans and a jumper. A burst of glowing purple daggers left her wand and the Death Eater robes were left tattered and slightly bloody as the blades passed through. A slight whimper of pain came from under the mask and the person below it crumpled to the ground and lay still.

"You see what your filth causes me to do? Your impudence!" A flurry of spells were suddenly attacking her shield, all were deflected, absorbed into the spell protecting her. "Take down your shield and take your punishment!"

"Punishment?" Hermione asked, feigning confusion. "I thought we were going to play?"

Another flurry of spells and she began panting at the effort to keep her shield up. "This is playing you slime!" The crazed woman screamed. "Sic her!" She ordered the wolves.

With a harsh growl the pack rushed forward as a well-trained group. Hermione raised her wand and began shooting spells in a practiced order. The first wolf landed in the snow under the trees with a yelp and a freshly broken paw. The next was rendered motionless by a ring of fire surrounding him, too high and hot for him to jump over. Two were bound together by white hot chains and howled in agony as their flesh was singed with their movements. A huge wolf lunged to bite her and his jaw was suddenly unable to close, she had locked it open it its snarl. She turned and faced the last two remaining without letting the Death Eaters who patiently watched the battle with no change in posture out of her sight. Their masks expressions would never change.

With a quick flick of her wand the smaller wolf was in a cage and his whimpers silenced. She turned to the last of the attackers- the red-haired wolf who used to be her boyfriend. The object of her brother's hatred. Hermione's face showed no hatred for the boy trapped in a wolf's body.

She watched as the red-haired wolf bore down on her. She whispered "I'm sorry," As she sliced off an ear and threw spikes attached to ropes at him. He was pinned to a tree behind him, bound similarly to when he had first attacked them months before.

Bellatrix screamed in her rage, "Where is Draco?" and another spell flew through the air. Once more the light dissipated inches from Hermione's face.

"Alive and well. I will not tell you where he is." she responded serenely.

The wild haired woman threw herself at Hermione so suddenly, Hermione had no time to react. Bellatrix pinned her to the ground and conjured a knife from the air. Clutching it and grinning wildly, she whispered to Hermione, "You've forgotten your place, Mudblood," she stretched out Hermione's arm and held it under her knee.

Hermione was fighting, but the older witch was supernaturally strong in comparison to her. She spit in the madwoman's face and bucked her hips trying to get freed from her grasp. "Let me go!" she screamed as the older woman tightened her grip.

A titter from above her now tear stained face was followed by a white hot searing pain in the outstretched arm, and Hermione screamed. Four more lines and a bloody M marred her pale skin.

"Tell me!" Bellatrix demanded, opening Hermione's arm in the shape of a U.

"No!" Hermione screamed again, shutting her eyes tightly.

Hermione's struggling made the D lopsided and she began sobbing in anguish.

The beginnings of a B formed and suddenly Harry's voice rang through the clearing, "Let her go."

"Harry! Go back!" Hermione screamed, she would have continued but Bellatrix silenced her with a resounding fist to her jaw. With her face forced upward from the punch, she could see the stoop, and nearly wished she had never looked.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder were Harry and Draco, both of their wands at the ready, both looking angrier than Hermione had ever seen them.

Bellatrix answered in a calculating voice, "Give me Draco and I will let her go."

Draco stepped down, eyeing the crowd around them. "Why the sudden interest, Dear Aunt?" His practiced cocky tone was clear in the stillness.

"You have much to answer for, Nephew. Even this," she stuck her jaw in the direction of Hermione. "I can smell your stink all over this trash, is she your latest cumbox?"

Draco growled and raised his wand.

"Careful Draco," Hermione's strangled whisper floated on the breeze. The knife Bellatrix had coated with her blood as she carved was pressed into Hermione's throat.

Draco froze. "Get up. I'll come with you."

Hermione and Harry said simultaneously, "No!" But Draco took another step forward. Bellatrix ordered a faceless Death Eater to restrain him with a flick of her chin.

Before he was Apparated away, Hermione's eyes were filled with tears. In the half second before he disappeared, he whispered, "All for you."

They all left at once. The clearing was empty and silent until a wail of anguish came from the small witch wearing Muggle jeans and lying in her own blood.

"We have to get him back!" Hermione sobbed, struggling to sit up while cradling her injured arm.

Harry rushed to her side and hauled her up unceremoniously. "I know. We need the Order. You need to stop the blood." He shook her shoulders as she tried to run to the cottage. "Hermione! We can't go right after him! Think! They'll be waiting for that." A growl echoed through the clearing and they saw Ron still tied to the tree. Hermione broke free from Harry's strong hands and began hitting her former friend while she screamed, "It's all your fault! You selfish little shit! I would ki-" Harry pulled her back from her assault and had accidentally gripped her new injury, stopping her rant and causing her to scream out in agony.

He lifted her around the waist and carried her inside with a grim expression. "You know the ward's will kick us out soon- get the plan started!" he told her sternly.

Sobbing, she looked at him pitifully, "Harry we need to get him back!"

"Hermione, would he want you to weep or get your head together?"

She looked hurt and then forced her tears to stop with a deep breath. She ran all over the cottage and gathered their things into her beaded bag. The mirror was shoved into his back pocket and they stepped outside just as the house groaned in protest at their presence.

"Let's make some miles before sunrise," Harry said, flinging his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort the small witch. A small spell and her arm was bandaged.

"When will we call, Harry?" She asked him plaintively, her tears still falling in the moonlight.

"When we hit the area we talked about." He looked pointedly at the trees, "We may not be alone." He reminded her. "He's stronger than even you think, 'Mione," He used a term of endearment he rarely used.

A sweaty hour passed as they pushed through the underbrush. Even though it was still cold enough for the snow to remain unmelted, the work they had to perform to get to the planned location was hard.

Finally, at the top of a hill, they pulled out the mirror and called upon Molly. They explained what happened as calmly as they could. Molly told them the port key would be activated within an hour and they sat, weary in the moonlight, both listening for any noise which might signal an attack coming their way.

The port key flashed through the dark and they touched it together.

The room at the Leaky Cauldron was cold. No one in the room was left untouched by the frigidness. The top members were present, all had been roused from their secret beds and had been transported by either port key or Knight Bus to the middle of London for the meeting in progress.

"Look, we all understand the sense of urgency. He's in a great deal of danger." Kingsley said, his inner politician showing as he spoke diplomatically. "However, we have to understand the danger we would all face by attempting a rescue. We don't know where he is specifically. We don't have any intel until Professor Snape arrives. Until then, Miss Granger, we cannot plan for anything. We must be prepared for the worst." He seemed very upset to have to quell the fears of the small witch.

Hermione's eyes flashed in anger, "Mr. Shacklebolt, I understand that, and thank you for your input. However, I believe if we have options before we hear from Professor Snape, we have a better chance of succeeding in a rescue."

Harry interjected, "Let us take a break and allow tempers to cool before continuing, shall we?"

It was agreed and Harry pulled Hermione into the loo with him.

"Hermione. Kingsley is right. Planning is pointless until we have more information. Snape is probably present for whatever's happening. I don't think... We just need you to be coolheaded."

She exploded, "Coolheaded?! The love of my life is in chains and probably being tortured and you tell me to be coolheaded?" She began sharply jabbing her finger his chest and continued, "If it were Ginny, you would stop at nothing to get her back, how can you expect me to not react in the same way?!"

Harry looked unabashed at her outburst. "You love him that much?" He asked quietly.

She folder her arms over her chest and stood straight again, gazing at him with slitted eyes. "Yes. I do," She answered simply.

"Then I have an idea," He answered. "I'll announce it shortly." With that he turned and exited the room.

Hermione collapsed against the wall and allowed the sobs to wrack her body. She ran out of tears long before she ran out of sorrow to shed.

She stood and rubbed the bandage over her injury. She ran water in the sink and splashed it over her face. Looking in the mirror with her face still wet she whispered, "I will get him back. I don't care who I have to kill for that to happen." She opened the door and walked out.

There was a brief knock at the door as Hermione sat back on her chair. The room was sparsely furnished, as expected. In her exhausted state, and despite her protests, she was forced into the chair as soon as she and Harry had arrived. Now, she seemed to be thankful to be able to sit.

The knock at the door made everyone jump, but Kingsley answered the knock. He cracked the door with his wand behind the door, prepared to fling hexes if the person was not on their side. "Password?" He hissed once he had seen the newcomer.

Professor Snape's unmistakable drawl replied, "Lily Hammer," With no hesitation. The door was opened and Snape's weary face was revealed to the room.

Hermione stood and rushed to him as soon as the door was closed. She grasped his robes and looked at him pleadingly, "Is Draco alright? Please, Professor, please, is he alright?" She begged.

He looked down at her with a surprising look of empathy and gently wrapped his cold hands around hers, removing them from his robes and replied, "He is being tortured. He has said nothing."

She would have collapsed to the ground, but Snape squeezed her hands, hard and she looked back to his face. "His Occulmency is holding up. He has the image of you in his mind as a wall, and it is a strong wall. You must be strong as well, girl."

She took a deep breath of his earthy aroma, and felt some measure of comfort from his words.

Harry was standing behind her and put a gentle hand on her back. She turned and he guided her back to her chair with an arm wrapped around her waist. All eyes were staring. Tonks looked like she might cry, Molly was weeping into her handkerchief. Both women were heavily empathizing with the small witch's predicament.

Harry knelt before Hermione and she wiped her face again. She nodded to him and he stood once more. His stance was one of defiance, his fists were clenched at his sides. "What can you tell us, Professor Snape?" He asked, an unusual tone of authority in his voice.

Snape raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "They have him in the Malfoy Manor's Dungeons. The Manor itself is arguing against it. They have tortured him incessantly since he arrived. He has said nothing. I wonder if he is working on the wards, but I have no evidence of what is going on in his mind at present. His mental defenses are stronger than even mine. His mother is a constant concern, they want to know where she is. The only reason they allowed me in was to observe his torture, as punishment for allowing him to stray from his alliance with the Dark."

"How long can he last, Professor?" Tonks asked, her voice wavering in emotion.

"Days. Maybe weeks."

Hermione took a shaky breath, audible in the silent room as everyone thought about the ethics of leaving one of their own to be tortured for –potentially- weeks by their enemy.

"What can we do?" Came the small voice of Molly Weasley. Her normally cheerful voice was quiet and subdued tonight.

"Nothing. Yet." Kingsley answered in an equally quiet voice.

Hermione stood. "There is always something that can be done in the face of evil. I promised Draco when he first came here that we would protect him. So did all of you by voting to allow him into our ranks." She took a step forward, her normal confidence coming back as she spoke. "I love him. If you lot won't help me get him back, then I will go in by myself."

Harry murmured her name and touched her shoulder, but she shook his comfort away.

"If it were any of you, Draco would not hesitate to come after you. There would be no such thing as the question 'How long will they last?' Never would that question even occur to him." Fire was in her eyes once more. "I can and will storm the Manor. I will get him back. Who will join me?"

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape drawled, "You have no idea the fight you will be entering into. However, if a fight is what you want, then I might be able to guarantee one on more appealing grounds than to fight through the wards of Malfoy Manor."

Hermione froze, staring into the face of her former Potions Professor. Harry spoke behind her, "What do you mean, Professor?"

"Hogwarts is taken over. Let us allow Harry into it and let the fight come to us." Snape answered simply, sounding bored.

"They wouldn't bring Draco with them, surely." Tonks said breathlessly.

Snape smiled thinly, "That's the point. Abeille." He snapped his fingers and the little elf appeared. "Can you still get into Malfoy Manor to see your master?"

"Yes." She squeaked.

"How long will the location you take someone remain in the wards?"

"One hour." She answered.

"Stay here, Abeille. You need to hear the rest of this plan." Snape said.

The plan was glaringly simple one Snape had outlined it. Harry was the most impressed at the cunning involved. They would allow Harry to be captured at Hogwarts. Voldemort would want a major battle and so would come directly there. There were a great many defensive spells on the castle, and with the teachers' help, the war would take most of the night. Draco would be taken by Abeille to St. Mungo's and healed.

Hermione had to stop herself from saying she wanted to be with Draco when he got to St. Mungo's. The war was much more important than her love. She had been preparing for so long, it would have all been a waste if she was not present at the battle of Hogwarts.

Finally, with the plan outlined, they decided it should take place the following week to give their side as much time to prepare for the ambush.

Half crazed thoughts were running through his mind after he was left in the darkness of his own Manor. I'll rid myself of this whole house once I get out of here, Being the most frequently repeated. He was finally alone. His muscles were still struggling to remember how to relax. He was bleeding from what would be a few more scars to not explain to Hermione. The darkness surrounding him was cold comfort. At least he wouldn't have to see the blood around him. The decomposing bodies which were the only thing that would explain the smell.

He was trying to allow himself to sleep. He had no idea how long he had been down here. In the dark. In the smell of rot. In the cold. He didn't care for time any longer. Each second was as painful as the last. He pictured his beautiful witch again, allowing her to comfort him in his torment. When he got out of here, he might even allow her to comfort him. She may need it as much as he.

He thought again of the family heirloom hidden in his mother's armoire. He knew where it was. He knew Hermione's face would light up at the sight of it. It would be all she was allowed to wear on their wedding night.

He knew she would say yes. She had never told him she loved him, but he knew it to be the case. There it was in that light in her eyes as they kissed under the snow laden trees. Not the spark of lust. It was in the way she touched his arm when she laughed. He seized on it in this bleak hour, needing it to be true. He needed to give her the sapphire ring hidden upstairs. He needed to believe she would accept with a glowing smile and fervent kisses of happiness. He needed to believe that she would whisper in his ear for the rest of their lives those sweet little words he had never heard from her lips.

He contained his sanity in these thoughts. He'd known they wouldn't rescue him for a while. They had to make plans. No one had expected for him to be caught. He was to protect Harry and Hermione. As much as one could protect those two hard-headed Gryffindors.

Time lost meaning while he was alone. When his tormentors were there, it was the only thing that mattered. How long could he withstand their tortures? He thought it had been a week. Could he last another?

A pop came through the dark. "Master?" A whispered voice echoed through the dark. Imagining voices, now. He began to think he was finally losing his mind, when the voice came again, "Light." It squeaked. The light came and Draco winced his bruised face away from it.

"Finally a torture that might work," Draco said, his voice rusty from long alternating cycles of disuse and helpless screaming.

"Master!" The squeaky voice sounded like his precious elf, the first one he had freed. Little Abeille with her purple hat. He smiled and cracked his eyes open, thinking he must be dreaming.

Her warm hands touched his bare chest and he looked up at her from the floor. She was knelt at his side and had tears in her eyes, "Master, we have to go." She squeaked, her voice emotional.

"Ok, Abeille. It must be my time to go." He sighed and tears he thought had run dry leaked out of his eyes. "I wish I could have seen Hermione one more time."

"Master, we are going to St. Mungo's. You's will see Miss Granger after the battle." Her tinny voice was confused.

"Ok, Abeille. Whatever you say." He sighed and lost consciousness.

Tiny little Abeille took Draco's massive hand into hers with reverence. She snapped her fingers and they arrived at St. Mungo's. The ward was mostly empty, but for a few nurses. "Help!" She squeaked, startling all three of the aproned women.

They came rushing over and lifted Draco's unconscious form to the bed next to him and began speaking quickly to one another as they made note of his many injuries. One leaned down to Abeille and asked her, "What happened? Is this man your owner?" Her face looked very confused as she looked at the little elf wearing her mismatched clothes.

"Master was tortured. Abeille wants to stay with him. Can she? Can Abeille stay?"

The mediwitch patted Abeille on her tiny shoulder and smiled comfortingly. A strangled gasp came from one of the other mediwitches who was looking over Draco. The one kneeling next to Abeille looked up sharply. "What is it?" She demanded in a harsh voice.

The startled witch pointed to Draco's left arm and covered her mouth in shock.

"So what if he is, his treatment will not change because of a tattoo, Penelope. Heal him then we call the Aurors, you know the routine."

Abeille squeaked, "Master is not a Death Eater, Miss. He turned to the light."

The mediwitch examined Abeille closely. "It doesn't matter. We have procedures to follow. What is your master's name?"

Abeille hesitated, she had not been told what to do in the event someone asked for his name. "Draco, Miss. Draco Malfoy." She answered finally.

The mediwitch stood and treatment began. Abeille refused to let Draco out of her sight. She held his hand as much as possible.

The treatments were finished around eleven that night. His wounds were healed, except for the ones which were cursed. Those were bandaged and he was left with a mediwitch in the ward keeping an eye on him for a while. Abeille watched over him, holding his hand while he remained unconscious.

When the mediwitch slipped out to use the loo, Draco cracked an eye open and looked at his faithful little elf. "Abeille." He croaked.

Abeille's face lit up in happiness. She did not say anything, knowing her voice would carry.

"We have to leave. They'll turn me in to the Auror's and I will go to prison. We have to go to Hermione."

Abeille nodded and glanced at his body with a question in her eyes.

"Yes, get me clothes. Hurry."

She disappeared and reappeared quickly holding a suit. She snapped her fingers and he was dressed. She took his hand and they left with a crack echoing in the room just as the mediwitch returned.

The mediwich's eyes were opened wide in shock and she quickly raised her wand to sound the alarm.


	15. Chapter 14

WARNING: Character death coming up and I kept with my descriptive tone. I'm not making the death romantic at all, don't expect to leave the scene without being a bit upset… also, if it seems like there's a big gap in time, like during the Battle, it's canon and I don't want to infringe (any more) on what Rowling wrote.

Hermione had dropped her wand. The battle moved around her as she searched for it.

A mad cackle cut through the roar of battle and Hermione froze, terrified. She spotted her wand before her and snatched it. She jumped into a defensive crouch, looking around wildly for her imminent attacker.

A plume of black smoke rushed toward her and she prepared her spell in her mind. The figure solidified into a head of white blonde hair and the lunatic grin of Lucius Malfoy. He screamed a spell as he flew past her and a jet of green light flew out of his wand, Hermione sprang out of the way in time to avoid being killed.

He flew past her again, screaming another curse and she jumped again, landing badly on her healing arm. She screamed in pain. She struggled to get her legs below her as Lucius landed next to her with his wand in one hand and its sheath in the other. He laughed outright at her struggle. One stride and he stood over her. He whacked her shoulders with the sheath and she fell to the ground again.

"Grovel at my feet Mudblood!" He whacked her again, hitting her ribs on the side. The force of the hit rolled her onto her uninjured side and she groaned in pain. She gripped her wand in her hand and struggled to breathe. "Bow to your master!" He raised the cane again. She closed her eyes in preparation for the hit that did not come.

"Father." His silky voice covered her in the sweetest happiness.

"Draco." His father responded, cane still above his head. "You look well," Lucius finished sarcastically.

Hermione looked around for Draco and was terrified at his bruised face and desperate exhaustion showing. He glanced at her briefly and then kept his eyes on his father.

Bellatrix's laugh floated over the battle around them again. "How is your mother?" She cackled at Neville. Explosions followed her taunt, unheeded by the trio.

Harry had left for the forest already, and Hermione stayed behind to continue the battle she had prepared for over the past two years.

The battle moved away from them, the cries and shouts becoming quieter as the father and son regarded each other for a moment. "I challenge you to a duel." Draco said finally.

"Draco, do you really wish to die?" His father responded.

Draco raised his wand. Abeille had rescued it from the vault at Malfoy Manor just before arriving and Hermione could feel him unlocking his power fully for the first time in her presence.

Hermione scuttled out from between them, clutching her probably broken ribs and debated stopping the fight. It was too late. Before she had the time to stand and tell Draco that they needed to run and run fast, the elder Malfoy was bowing to his son in acquiescence.

A bubble of white light surrounded the pair and Draco nodded his head to his father. Hermione gasped and looked around to see if she was still safe. She needed to watch this. She needed to know that Draco wouldn't die before she got to tell him she… loved him.

The first spell came from Lucius, before Draco had gotten into position. He deflected it with a quick flick of his wand. It hit the barrier and dissipated. He responded with another and a similar thing happened to his father. Hermione realized that his lips were moving and she could not hear what was happening. She held her ribs and passed out, hunched over to the side.

Inside the bubble, Draco told his father serenely, "I'm going to marry that witch you just hit," And sent an expelliarmus at his father's equally astonished and furious face.

"Over by cold body, Crucio!" The light headed at Draco and he felt the fury suddenly take over.

"That is my intention!" The light was stopped by a bubble of protection around Draco. He screamed and threw nonverbal hexes at his father, four in rapid succession.

His father had dropped to a knee and was panting from deflecting two and being hit with the other two, one a stinging hex and the other an explosion to his midsection. There was blood coming from under his robes. Draco stood straight and looked down his nose at his father with his head raised proudly. He purposefully mirrored the stance his father had taken so many times when looking at an inferior. "Your ways are not mine."

Draco raised his wand, intending to murder his father.

Lucius looked up and took in the posture of his son. He recognized himself in the posturing, but not in the power, the dedication, and the bravery. His pain became second to the shame he had never experienced before in his life. He felt for the first time that he had failed his house. He whispered, "Do it."

Draco faltered. The words were there on the tip of his tongue, ready to come bursting forth with conviction. Those two words had stopped the two about to come from his own lips. Just a whisper in false silence, and his heart felt like it would break. His mind flashed to the only happy memory of his father in a litany of horrible ones. His father, proudly beaming at him as he climbed onto his first broom and it responding immediately to his touch.

Lucius took a painful breath and screamed at his son, "DO IT!" He wanted to tell the boy that this would make him proud, his only request which would never be followed by a higher expectation. He would finally be at peace. The words would not come. His throat seemed to be full of a chocking liquid and he began coughing harshly. He opened his eyes and watched blood spewing from his own lips in the harsh light around them. The pain was receding though, and he coughed again, nearly enough to vomit.

"Father?" Draco asked uncertainly. He began to lower his wand, not sure what he should do.

Through his coughs, Lucius was able to choke out in a thick voice, "Go away! You," He coughed again, "Murde" A retch, "-er." He choked out and fell over, his breathing stilled. He stopped breathing. His bloody hand fell from his stomach and revealed a horrific wound to his chest and stomach.

The light around them fell and Draco was glad for it, the image he had been presented with would haunt him for the rest of his life. His father's last words would plague his dreams forevermore. He fell to his knees before his unconscious beloved and sobbed into his hands, knowing he was cursed for the rest of his life. A few minutes passed and he got control of his emotions once more.

"Draco?" Her soft call pushed the image from his mind and he felt he might be able to forget it as long as she kept talking. As long as he could see her face. As long as she filled him with this joy. And yet he was afraid. Love is a terrifying thing, especially when it has so rarely been offered in his formative years.

He pushed his hands through her hair and lent down to hug her gently as she lay still. "I've missed you terribly," He whispered fiercely into her hair.

She pushed him back and his heart gave a harsh lurch. He looked down at her and there was that light in her eyes. "Draco, I love you," She whispered. Even over the growing roar of the battle raging behind them, he heard it clearly. He pressed his lips to her fiercely and knew he could never live without her.

Draco helped her to stand and fixed her ribs quickly. "Sorry, no bruise potions on me, can you run?" He asked quickly.

She smiled sweetly up to him, "Your father hits like a girl. You have surely bruised me worse, my love." He grinned down at her. "Let's run. Harry has barely left for to the Forbidden Forest." They started to jog and Hermione told him, "Harry's gotten rid of the last Horcrux, I think."

They were flying down the hill, headed in the direction of Hagrid's hut when a wolf stepped in front of them. "Fuck you! Get out of our way!" Draco screamed.

The she-wolf bared her teeth and another wolf stepped next to her. There was a rustling in the bushes, and out came a beautiful blonde woman. "Draco," The woman crooned. She reached her hands out to take Draco's stunned face and admire him for a moment.

"Mother…" Draco answered softly.

"Do you know my new friends? My new pack of friends, you might say." She tittered as though she had learned the skill from her sister's madness.

Another wolf came from behind them, growling its' greeting.

"Ah, the new father of your old boyfriend, dear." She said, mockingly introducing Hermione to the gigantic wolf. "His name is Nicola Catalonia." The wolf posed dramatically, puffing out his chest and straightening his posture. "He rescued me from my imprisonment and helped bring me back from my madness. I did the same for your ex-boyfriend, you know."

"Well, since you've been recently widowed, you may want him to protect you better, dear." Hermione said, flicking her wand behind her back and putting protections on herself and Draco. Draco grabbed her arm roughly and held her close to him. Under his breath he made a quiet 'shh' noise.

Narcissa looked uncertain, "Widowed?" She questioned, her inflections polished as though she were inquiring if anyone would like tea. "Lucius is in prison, and has not gotten the kiss."

"Where is your wedding band, then, Mother?" Draco asked pointedly. She looked down at her hand and seemed surprised to find it only adorned with her engagement ring.

"No," She breathed. "Impossible."

"Yes." Draco answered, on the verge of madness. "And patricide be the cause."

Narcissa looked at her son with such fury, Hermione almost feared her for a moment. "You've murdered your father?!" The once beautiful woman screamed.

Draco glued her feet to the floor with a quick whisk of his wand. With a sudden comprehension of why everyone was so keen to find her, he asked, "Of course I did. Where is it, mother?"

"With me, always." She answered, her face still contorted in rage.

He held out his hand, and Hermione watched the wolves circling wearily. "Give it to me. I have been tasked with bringing it to him, along with her," He flicked his chin to Hermione.

Narcissa's eyes lit up, the storm of rage contorting her features disappeared in an instant, "You have? What an honor, Draco. To carry a Horcrux for the Dark Lord is truly an honor," She looked happy. She pulled out an ornate hair pin from her complex hairdo. She handed it to Draco without hesitation.

"Call off your pack, I need to get through." He ordered.

The wolves moved from the head of the path, growling and watching Draco carefully.

Hermione had had enough of this insanity. She waved her wand and all three of the wolves were incased in bubbles of water. Narcissa was flailing in an unladylike fashion within her own bubble of liquid. She touched the wolves' bubbles first and set the muffling charm on the cages to prevent their calls for rescue.

She leisurely walked to Narcissa's floating bubble of water and smiled at her, cruelly. Draco touched her arm and when she looked at him, she saw the sadness on his features, so she touched the bubble. Narcissa screamed at them, "I should have killed you years ago! You and your filthy-" She was cut off by Hermione placing the silencing charm on the cage.

"I feel terrible. But she does deserve it. And so did he…" Draco touched the cage with his hand softly, watching his mother screaming at him through the bars. Hermione watched him work through the emotions going through his mind. She stood to the side and watched him kneel next to his mother's cage and watching her for a moment. "She's been Imperioed," Draco sighed as he stood, shaking his head minutely. They were about to step into the woods when there was a crash and explosion noise behind them. They turned and watched as the Astronomy tower collapsed.

Their eyes met and Hermione asked, "Harry or Order?"

Draco looked to the forest then back to the changed skyline. That slight change in the castle's structure seemed to have broken his heart in an unexpected way. "Order." He answered finally. He turned and began running back to the castle with Hermione following closely behind.

The battle raged on. Hermione and Draco tried to stay together as much as they could. They found Neville holding the Sword of Gryffindor. He had just slain Nagini and was rushing off to join the battle against Greyback on a lower level. They asked him to destroy the hairpin with the sword. Finally, it was Harry Vs. Voldemort. No back up plans for either of them.

It had been exactly a year since the original excitement of Voldemort's demise. The Wizarding world was still drunk on its freedom from Voldemort's defeat.

On the first anniversary of the Battle, Hogwarts had hosted a gala the likes of which may never be seen again. It had been a year full of parties and galas.

Hermione and Draco had become the poster children for the world resulting in the victory of the Light. Their faces were plastered all over tabloids and they had been harassed endlessly ever since the end of the war. Someone had slipped to the Quibbler that they were together and every Wizarding news outlet had been rolling out daily headlines since.

Draco had found his mother after the battle and figured out she had merely been Imperioed, and was not insane. Her insanity made her less likely to be a target in Voldemort's deranged reckoning. She lived in a ward of St. Mungo's specializing in recovery of people who had been Imperioed within an inch of their sanity. She only had to be there during the work week after seven months of round-the-clock care, and could now spend the weekends with Draco. She was slowly beginning to grow on Hermione.

Hermione's parents were living in Australia, with the memories of their daughter. The decision had been theirs, the climate agreed with them more than England. Hermione was jealous sometimes and wished to be away from the spotlight of the headlines. She and Draco had discussed it often, but both of their hearts lay in the English clime. So they stayed.

Hermione walked with Harry and recollected the battle which had lasted the whole night through one year ago. They were tiredly walking in the predawn light and examining the castle's repairs as they spoke. Hermione was carrying her spiked heels, which looked ever so good on, but hurt like hell around 3 AM. Her emerald silk dress left her shoulders bare in the warm air, but she still carried her wrap for when the breeze turned chilly. Harry was wearing a suit, but was carrying the jacket.

Ginny, Harry's girlfriend, had fallen asleep after a few too many drinks too early in the meal. Harry had put her upstairs in his office. After the battle, Harry had of course been selected for the –no longer cursed- title of Professor of Dark Arts.

Ron had been thrown into Azkaban after being captured alone in a pub. His pack had deserted him and he was drowning himself in alcohol when the barman suddenly realized where he knew the boy from. The front page of the Daily Prophet had been taken up by Ronald's murderous face, covered in bruises and partly covered by a beard. It had reminded Harry of Sirius and Hermione and he had had a long night of tearful liquor cabinet raiding in memory of Harry's dead Godfather. They never spoke about Ron other than that one time.

Hermione was in college with Draco, both having taken all of their exams during the summer following the Battle of Hogwarts. They didn't even study and got all O's on the exams. He studying business in the Magical-Muggle Relations department and she studying to become a professor of Potions.

Harry asked her again, "So, why don't you just accept the job. You know you don't need to get a degree. Being my sidekick," She elbowed him in the ribs, "Ok, the brains behind my brawn? How's that?"

She giggled, "I like that one."

"Being the brains to my brawn gives you the ability to do anything you want without the hassle."

"Yes, but Harry, Potion making is an exact science, not one you can just jump in to, not at all like Defense Against Dark Arts."

"Ah, the cheek then?" He pulled her under his arm and pretended to give her an affectionate noogie.

From inside the castle, they suddenly heard angry shouting. With a startled look at each other they ran back inside and saw Auror's taking Draco through the Entrance of the Great Hall. Draco was not fighting, but there was a crowd of people who were angrily shouting.

"What are you doing? Let him go!" Harry shouted angrily.

The silence that followed was shocking. Half of the people present still thought that Harry and Malfoy were and always would be bitter enemies. Everyone else who was informed of their friendship thought Harry was talking to Draco, and ordering him to release the Auror.

The apparently senior Auror stood at attention and saluted Harry before speaking in practiced, clipped military speech, "Sir. This man has been accused of being a Death Eater, sympathizing with the Death Eater cause, of endangering the lives of muggles and wizards alike, and of casting an illegal hex on the date of May the Second, 1998. He has been captured on the date of May the Third, 1999. He is to be interred in Azkaban Prison until his trial date of Tuesday, June the First, 1999. If you have anything to say on the matter, please do so at the appropriate time. Sir." The Auror dropped the stance, gave Harry a curt nod, and helped his partner carry Draco off.

Hermione stood still, barely breathing. She looked at Harry without moving her head. Harry was as shocked as she was.

McGonagall approached the pair with her perfectly coifed hair showing under her hat. "Should we seek counsel?" She asked them quietly.

"Yes." Hermione answered.

The following month was spent discussing Draco's situation with a huge firm of Solicitors who had never worked with Lucius. That had been a big part in making the decision for their representation. A week of meetings with different firms, and they had decided on Kings Solicitors, LLC. Mr. King was very sympathetic to Draco's case and had also worked with the Zabini's, Parkinson's and Greengrass's when they had been in similar trouble over the course of the last year.

"The whole story has never been divulged, you see. Not to the general public. We never felt it was necessary. His relationship with Miss Granger, here, has assured the general population that the Malfoy name is not representative of pureblooded ideology any longer," Narcissa told Mr. King shortly after meeting him.

"Ah, but you see, the general population is easy to sway. Just look at these Muggles in America believing the world will end because of electronics," He pronounced the word carefully and enunciated each syllable, and smiled at himself for saying it correctly. "But in the case of your son," His face sobered, "I think it will be best for Miss Granger and Mr. Potter to take the stand as witnesses. They have lived with him more frequently than you have since…" Narcissa gave an indignant sniffle and her lower lip quivered slightly. There were tears in her eyes, as Mr. King continued, "My apologies, Ms. Malfoy, I mean no disrespect. It's simply fact that you have been absent from your son's life due to many different reasons which no one could blame you for." Narcissa dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

Hermione adjusted her blazer uncomfortably. She decided it must be time to offer this woman more than just cold acceptance. She reached out and grasped the woman's hand gently in her own. Narcissa looked up at her, startled and Hermione gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mrs. Malfoy. I'll rip down the walls of Azkaban myself if he's not free after I speak."

Narcissa smiled and squeezed Hermione's hand. "I believe you, dear girl."

"As do I." Mr. King said gravely, "And as your counsel, I will advise you that that action would be highly illegal and not one which should be joked about."

The days were spent going over facts about the war and reliving some parts of it. Narcissa was put back into St. Mungo's full time until Draco was freed or imprisoned. If it were the latter, Hermione thought she might take over Draco's role for him until she was better.

She missed him terribly. As she walked around their empty apartment alone every night, she couldn't help but weep to be away from him. She had a few other friends, but they were all relationship friends. She couldn't very well write to them and ask to go get bleary eyed without Draco. She'd be a third wheel. No one ever wants to be a third wheel.

Harry tried to make time for her, but she told him several times that he should be spending time with Ginny.

Lying in bed, she could not stop thinking about him. Drinking her morning coffee, she thought about him. Meetings with her Solicitor were spent talking about him. She cooked food at night and thought about him. And then she would curl up in bed and wish he was there to wrap his arm around her in his sleep. To snore and lull her to sleep.

That was the problem. She couldn't sleep without him. Even on nights where she could successfully chase him from her mind, she still could only toss and turn. Each night she only got a few blissful hours of broken sleep.

She just wanted to hear his voice, that would make it better. His laughter when she made a stupid joke. She missed cooking for him over the campfire while he watched her intently.

She had spent so long with him constantly by her side, now he wasn't there.

She would berate herself and order herself to grow up. It is possible to be away from someone and still be with them. It's not like this is the first time in history a couple has had to be apart for any length of time. He's not being tortured. The Dementors aren't even in Azkaban anymore.

She tried meditating. She tried drinking herself to sleep. She tried masturbating to memories of the time they had shared. She tried taking over the counter sleeping pills. She tried Dreamless Sleeping Draughts. Nothing would make her be able to sleep.

She started spending more and more time on the internet, relying on messages from other Subs from thousands of miles away who could understand her pain. The smallest message of encouragement would make her smile. She didn't even care if she would never meet any of these people. They helped her through her crippling depression. The loneliness of being separated from her Dom made her feel empty in the strangest way.

She was thinking about this for the thousandth time since his arrest two days before the trial was opened to the public. The next day, Draco would take the stand. The next day would be Harry and she could be there for his testimony. Draco wouldn't be. The archaic system was designed so the accused did not hear what was said about them.

It wasn't like she needed him to hit her to be whole. It wasn't like she needed to be ordered around all of the time. It wasn't even that she missed the sex. Although she did miss all of it. The thing was… she needed his strength. In and out of the bedroom. He was the only person in the entire universe, it seemed, who was stronger than her. She could lean on him when she needed it. He would be there to give her a glass of water when the worst of the world bogged her down. He would use her body's reaction to pain to combat her stress. Those were the things she missed.

It wasn't like she missed that fringe of white-blonde hair falling ever so gracefully over his brow when he was reading. Or the intensity on his face when he stared at the wall, deep in thought. Or his smell. Or his warmth radiating off him as they relaxed on the couch. Certainly it wasn't how he would affectionately call her love and grip her hips when she cooked for him. It definitely was not how he would turn her on with a look as he entered the bedroom.

She came to a conclusion. It was definitely the Dom/sub stuff. Science…

Oh hell, who are you kidding, Hermione. You love him more than you've ever loved any one or thing. You are having to live without him for the first time since he showed his real face and you can't do it, can you? What will you do when he moves on? What will you do when he decides that a little bushy haired bookworm isn't enough for him?

She collapsed into tears at the thought. If he ever left her, she had no idea what she would do. She sobbed at the imagined implications of his leaving.

Abeille popped into the room to bring her tea. "Miss Granger?" Her squeaky voice asked.

Hermione covered her face, "Oh, Abeille, I've had the worst thoughts over the past little while."

The little elf took her hand and looked into Hermione's half exposed face. "It will ok, Miss Granger. Master will be back soon." A small squeeze of her hand and the elf popped out of sight.

The small amount of comfort by the little elf warmed her. She drank her tea and tried to think of happier times while ignoring the pang in her heart at the memories. She invested herself in a trashy romance novel Ginny had given her as a birthday present the year before. The first sex scene was passing at best and the romantic pillow talk made Hermione want to vomit. She threw it across the room in disgust. Finally it was time for bed, and she lay in the dark looking at the ceiling and trying to imagine his snores as time ticked ever slower onward. She turned and looked through the curtained windows lining the wall and tried to pretend he was just visiting the loo and would be right back. Finally, she allowed the tears to come and woke to the morning rays shining through the curtains.

Harry's testimony day. He was their best shot, Mr. King had told them. If the Savior of the Wizarding world gave an impassioned speech, it would sway the jurors more so than anything else. They had decided to allow Harry to go first and Hermione would go the next day. Between the two of them, they could easily demonstrate that the charges against him were ludicrous.

Sitting high above where Harry was speaking, Hermione listened raptly as he began to speak. His words were of the highest praise for the blonde boy who had once been his enemy.

He was ordered to step down and they went to lunch. "Did you write out a speech, Harry?" She asked while they waited for their food.

"No. I just spoke the truth."

"I have a speech prepared," She answered with a blush. "You know how I hate to speak to people I don't know."

He thought for a moment, unabashedly checking out the waitresses bum. Hermione smacked his arm and he had the decency to look ashamed. "Maybe you shouldn't read a speech. I reckon that the truth can come easier if it's not forced."

She considered his suggestion. "Well, I'll decide tomorrow."

The night was sleepless for Hermione. She was so nervous. She had abandoned the bed around 2 AM and gotten online. She went into her normal chat room and typed, 'Anyone awake?'

A little ding and she looked at the response from her 'friend' Dreamweaver, 'Another sleepless night, J?'

'His trial is happening. I take the stand tomorrow. How could I sleep?'

'By being in bed…' The snarky comment made her smile.

'Tried that. No go.'

'Are you the nervous type when it comes to speaking in public?'

She sighed, and hung her head over the keyboard. 'Sometimes. Tomorrow is one of those times.'

'Remember the first time with Him?'

'Of course. That time is burned into my very soul, D.'

'Were you nervous then?'

She thought back trying to remember. 'A little. He has always made me nervous though.'

'Imagine that you're talking to Him tomorrow.' She thought about it, staring at the screen. Dreamweaver added, 'It wouldn't hurt, at least.'

'Thanks D. I'll try sleeping again.'

She logged off and crawled into bed. She fell into a fitful sleep for a little while before she had to get up and get dressed for her date with a jury.

A/N: Whew. Finally finished with that. Gonna do a little more in the timeline and then I'm thinking some reunion sex? Who's with me? I think you devoted readers deserve one more sex scene. Gosh what a huge jump in time this chapter, huh? Well, it made it easier than a bunch of lemony fluff that would have made me get cavities. Draco is loosely based on my husband, and his 'out of the bedroom' persona is very lovey-dovey. One more chapter for sure, guys, I'm a bit sad….


	16. Chapter 15

Hermione could not be inside the building while Draco was being freed. She was anxiously waiting outside with Harry and Narcissa flanking her. Mr. King was inside, hidden in the shadows behind Draco as his sentence was read aloud.

Free. The thought was continuously ringing through his head as he turned in the gloom. FreeFreeFreeFREE! He finally jumped off the pedestal he had been standing on and let out a whoop of joy.

Mr. King stood and called out his name. Draco turned and found him in the shadows, holding out his hand. "Mr. Malfoy, I am Mr. King, the solicitor your mother, friend, and girlfriend hired as your defense. Would you like to go outside to see them?" He held out a bundle of cloth which turned out to be a suit of Draco's.

He placed Draco's wand into his palm. Draco felt the surge of magic at the familiar wood molding to him. He cleaned himself and changed his clothing within seconds. They stepped into the elevator and went up. The foyer was lit from the cloudy sky visible through the huge windows. They walked toward the revolving door and into the middle of Muggle London.

Hermione let out a shriek of joy and bounded across the courtyard of the building. Narcissa was sobbing and Harry helped her to walk to her son.

Hermione flew into his arms and kissed his face over and over, her tears of joy smearing over his pale skin. He was laughing at her and allowed the display.

Mr. King had turned and was very interested in the fountain in the square before him.

Hermione released him as his mother came closer and wiped his face with a handkerchief, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

Narcissa kissed his cheeks and hugged him for a full minute. She stepped to the side, dabbing her eyes gently with her handkerchief.

Harry looked at Draco with a grin on his face. Draco offered his hand, but Harry instead put his arms around Draco and fiercely hugged him for a moment. Draco patted Harry's shoulder a little awkwardly.

Another party was planned at the flat Hermione and Draco shared for the following evening. Draco insisted on buying Hermione yet another new ball gown. She objected, like she always did, but at Narcissa's insistence she relented and allowed him to buy it anyway.

Hermione and Draco spent much of the afternoon with Narcissa, shopping for Hermione's perfect dress. They finally found an ivory dress with an empire waist and a sweetheart neckline which was perfectly tailored for her by the shop they purchased it from. Her hair appointment was scheduled and she got new shoes to go with the dress.

Finally with the sun setting, Narcissa back in St. Mungo's and the door shut, Hermione felt she might be able to relax.

That was until Draco nodded his head toward the bedroom with that predatory expression on his face. Hermione's pulse quickened. She walked slowly before him down the hall, taking her hair down and combing through it with her hands. She glanced over her shoulder at him just as she turned to the bedroom door, his eyes were dark and he was watching her bite her lip with an intensity she had never seen from him.

He crossed the threshold of the door and closed the door behind him softly. "Get on the bed." He ordered. She leisurely crawled onto the bed on all fours, her pencil skirt pulling tight over her bum with her movements. He smacked her hip lightly and she whimpered. "Stay just like that." He said.

One leg bent more under her than the other and her arms supporting her weight, she froze. She could feel the flowy fabric of her sleeves tickling her arm as she felt herself beginning to shake slightly.

"Have you been a good girl in my absence?" He asked slipping her shoes off her feet. He gently smoothed the stockings on her ankles.

"I think so." She answered. Then she added, "Sir," As an afterthought. She was already starting to ache for him deep inside, and he had not yet touched her.

"Mmm," He sighed, sinking a knee onto the bed next to her foot. "It's a yes or no question, Granger. Answer."

"Yes sir?" She half moaned as he moved his stroking hand up to the back of her unexposed thighs. She could feel herself soaking her panties.

"So you haven't touched this pussy without permission?" He inquired moving his hands to cup her covered bum. She moved her hips slightly backward, trying to get him to touch her more.

Realization of what he just said hit her, Oh shit. She thought as she whipped her head to look at him.

His hand came down hard on her hip again, with a resounding slapping noise. "Did I ask you to look at me?" He asked harshly.

She turned her face around again looking at their curtained windows. "No, sir, you didn't. I'm sorry." He smoothed his hand gently over the area he had just hit.

"Now answer my question," He said authoritatively.

"I have been a bad girl, sir. I didn't know..." She trailed off as his hand was taken away from her and she felt the bed shift as he stood.

"You didn't know?" She could hear his belt clinking as he took it off. The leather made a smooth whisper across the fabric of his pants. "You didn't know you needed permission?" He clicked his tongue as though saddened by the news.

"No, sir, I didn't know." She answered, her throat tight in anticipation. His hand was on her bum again, rubbing it. He slapped it once more.

"You didn't think, 'This is His pussy, I shouldn't touch it without Him here'?" She felt the leather belt stroking across her covered spine and she shivered. "You didn't think that I wouldn't punish you for doing it?"

She whimpered as he slid her skirt up her legs. The tops of her thigh-high stockings were exposed. The straps of silver ribbon holding them up, and the black garter belt attached to them were slowly exposed to the cool air of the room.

He hissed in appreciation of her underwear selection for the day. Emerald green lace covered the top part of her now exposed bum, collecting towards her center and wrapped elegantly around her soaked crotch. "Ah, Granger, I would think you knew you did something wrong, since you tried so hard to make it up to me." He caressed the panty clad ass cheek reverently. "Look at how pink you are already." He touched his handiwork.

"I swear I didn't know, sir. I'm sorry." She whispered.

He tickled the exposed flesh with the belt. "How many times?" He asked.

"Five," She answered after a quick calculation.

He hit her softly with the hard leather, the belt making a hard smacking sound where it hit itself from being folded in half. "One," He whispered.

The next was slightly harder and on the other cheek, "Two."

The third was harder yet and crossed the first one, doubling the pain, "Three," He said, his voice gruff.

The next was yet harder, the leather's noise nearly drowning her whimper of pain. "Four."

The last was delayed as he rubbed his hand across the stinging flesh, his callused hand like sandpaper across the reddening stripes. "Five," He said with a final smack of leather across both cheeks. She cried out with the last, the sting racing through her body.

His fingers brushed against her throbbing mound from behind and he rubbed it slowly. She cried out and pushed back, trying for more friction. The lace over her smooth lips was maddening.

He chuckled and pulled his hand away. Hermione could feel her wetness leaking through the lace.

His legs were suddenly pressing against the inner sides of her calves and she could feel his hands on her shoulders, pulling her back to rest against his chest. The fabric of his pants shifted against her sore skin and she moaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure as he cupped her breasts through her shirt. He rested his chin in the junction of her neck and shoulder and took a deep breath in.

She could feel his hardness against her cheeks, throbbing against her heated flesh. "I've missed you," He said softly into her neck. The movement of his lips and the little tickles of his breath forced a throb throughout her body.

"I missed you too, Mr. Malfoy." She whimpered. Her body was stretched tightly and she could not move. She still felt him thrust against her unconsciously to her term of address. Even after all the time that had passed, he still reacted strongly to that term.

He growled in her ear, "You trying to force me to hurry, little Granger?"

She gasped, his power was overwhelming, "No, sir. Never."

He kneaded her nipples for a few moments, still forcing her to stay in position against him. Suddenly he ripped her blouse open, shooting buttons across the room to ping against the window pane. Her matching bra was nearly ripped off her body too, before Draco looked down and noted it. He pushed her back down onto her arms and stood quickly.

"Stand next to me." He commanded. She crawled off the bed and stood where he was indicating with his hand. He pulled open her ruined shirt and admired her for a second. "Take down the skirt, leave everything else on."

She reached for the zip on the side and lowered it. The skirt was pushed off her hips by her own impatient hands. She stood straight again and he stared at her with a feral look crossing his features. "Granger." His voice sounded strangled, so he cleared it, "Undress me." He said, and unbuttoned his cuffs.

She stepped forward, a little shy. The vest was easy. Four buttons and she gently pushed it over his shoulders. She let it drop to the floor.

She unbuttoned his shirt, which was the only experience she had undressing a man before. Every other time, he had usually had her tied up by this point. Pushing the opened shirt over his shoulders, she watched it flutter to the floor. She hesitated at his waistband.

"Get on your knees Granger, you'll see it better," He suggested. When she looked up at him, he was smirking.

She slid down his body and looked at the lump in his trousers, trying to figure out how to get his pants off without hurting him. She put her hands on his stomach and watched the muscles contract under her touch. Her eyebrow shot up and she realized he had offered her a little bit of control.

She unbuttoned his pants and slid down the zipper, enjoying the sound of its purr, and surprised at how long the zipper was. He was right of course, from the angle she had looked at it before, she had thought the zip was as short as those on her jeans. From her knees, she could see his was much longer. The pants were caught on his bulge and she stopped herself from giggling. She carefully pulled them forward so the slack from the back made it over his bulge. He took a shaky breath as they slid over the sensitive area.

The pants slid down his legs as she released them and his prick jutted under his boxers proudly. She licked her lips and glanced at his face. His eyes were half closed and he was watching her closely. "Take them off," He rasped, as though his throat were dry.

She repeated the process of pulling them forward to make room for his impressive length. His pheromones hit her and she could feel her eyes dilating. This beautiful pale dick was what she had been so desperately missing. She pushed the fabric to pool with his pants.

She looked up his scarred chest at his flushed face and decided to risk it. She pressed her lips against his heat and felt him flex against her. She opened her mouth, unbidden and sucked his head past her lips.

He growled above her, "Careful, Granger. Don't get too ambitious." She looked up at him with his dick still in her mouth and gave him a saucy wink. She sucked him harder and moved her head, mimicking what she wanted him to do to her wetness soaking through her panties.

She heard him groan above her as she wrapped her tongue around his head and slipped him back into her mouth, deeper this time. His hands wrapped themselves in her hair and he held her loosely while she continued her ministrations. "Play with your tits for me, Granger," He growled.

She wrapped her small hands around the weight of her breasts and moaned at the contact.

"Fuck, Granger, did I ever tell you how good it feels when you moan around my cock?" He groaned, thrusting against her mouth for a second before allowing her to take back control.

She pinched her nipple and moaned again. He shifted his weight and she took him into her throat. He growled again, and she could feel him pulsing in her mouth. His voice was harsh as he asked her, "Do you know how long it's been since I've cum?" She looked up at him and made a negative noise in her throat. He groaned again, "Since the night before the Hogwarts thing. Fuck Granger, you keep doing that and it'll be soon."

She had an evil plan. She dipped her hand lower than he had ordered, but he didn't notice. She moved her panties to the side with one hand, her finger was soaked as soon as she touched herself. She moaned as she brushed against her clit. She touched herself more forcefully and felt the sweet agony of need race through her body. She moaned again, closing her eyes.

His grip tightened in her hair and he started thrusting against her mouth. "You think I don't know you're touching yourself. You fuck that pussy and remember you have permission. I'm going to cum all over you tonight." He grunted.

She followed instruction and slipped a finger into her waiting opening. She moaned around him. She added another and began moving them in time with his thrusts into her mouth. Her body was rocketing towards a much deserved orgasm when he ordered her, "Stop."

Her eyes flew open and she stopped her fingers, despite her body screaming desperately for her to continue. She looked up at him. His face was contorted into a fierce determination and he moved her face with the force of his thrusts. "You swallow this cum," He grunted. Her mouth was filled with his salty cum, so much of it she nearly choked. "Swallow it, Granger." He ordered, keeping himself in her mouth.

She allowed it to slide down her throat with some difficulty. It was very hard to swallow with her mouth open, but she managed to swallow it all. He pulled his dick out of her mouth, still hard.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath. Her hand was still in her panties and the other was still loosely cupping her breast. "Clean it off, Granger." He said with a smirk. His hair was mussed when she glanced up at him, his eyes steel. She leaned forward and used just the tip of her tongue to flick across the glistening skin. "Quicker, Granger. You want it in that pussy, don't you?" He asked, mockingly.

She shoved it into her throat again, roughly and sucked hard, keeping her lips taut around him. He came out slowly as she used her lips to squeeze the mixture of her saliva and his semen off efficiently. He groaned above her, closing his eyes and simply enjoying the feelings she stirred in him. He popped out of her mouth and he ordered, "Stand."

She stood on shaky legs next to him, her ruined blouse moving against her bared skin. She waited for his next command as he stared at her. His hand flicked one of the lapels of her shirt over her shoulder and he stared at her body intently.

Just when Hermione was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable, Draco said, "Get on the bed. All fours."

She crawled back onto the bed and followed his command. She heard him make a strangled sound in his throat and almost turned to look, but stopped herself at the last second. "Look at that pretty ass. All red and swollen," He touched her gently with his fingertips. She whimpered slightly in her arousal. "I've dreamed of this moment all month." His fingertips traced the lines of her panties and she moaned. He took the straps off the garter and unhooked it.

She could feel him rolling her panties down her hips, the lace whispered down her thighs. He left them around her knees and she felt his tongue stroking over her wetness. She cried out and pushed her hips backward. He chuckled and backed off. She heard him make a popping sound with his mouth, and suddenly she felt a slick pressure on her other hole. He circled the sensitive skin with his slick finger and Hermione had a moment of fear.

"Shh, don't worry love. Just the one finger today," He pushed her shoulder down and she rested her face on the bed with her ass high in the air. She felt his tongue replacing the finger on her puckered hole.

She moaned uncontrollably at the unusual sensations floating through her body. His face backed off and there was an insistent pressure pushing into her. "Relax, Granger." She tried to comply. His tongue slid between her folds and she felt her body suddenly relax, trying to get him anywhere inside of her. "There's a good girl," He whispered against her. His tongue continued lapping at her juices and she felt a thrust from his finger.

She cried out in pleasure. He moved it again and she moaned into the covers. He slowly began to thrust into her in time with the agonizingly slow pace of his tongue. Her hips rocked in time with his movements and she was nearly sobbing in pleasure after a moment of this torture.

He moved away, keeping his finger inside of her, she felt it twisting as he moved and she felt the heat of his penis pressing against her lips. She thrust her hips back slightly, desperate for the orgasm slowly approaching. He relented and pushed himself slowly into her. His finger kept the same pace, even as he groaned in pleasure. He began to thrust into her, inward as his finger slid out, out as his finger went in. She realized she was speaking, repeating "Fuck," over and over again under her breath.

Suddenly she screamed her release and she thrust her body roughly backwards against him.

Hours passed before Draco was finally finished making up for lost time. Hermione had complained to him one day that he never left any bruises on purpose. As he handed her a glass of water and looked at her sweaty face, he smirked, knowing she would have plenty the following morning. Their time apart had been hard on him, being confined was never pleasing, but to also not have an outlet for his sadistic side, no ability to see far into the gloom of his cell, and no power he'd spent the entire time moping about her.

She had been on his mind constantly. In the darkness he could almost imagine her standing before him. That eased his concern regarding her activities in his absence. He'd tried everything to get her out of his mind at first, his natural instinct to hide what he could not protect taking over. After the first week, he had allowed his mind to relax, realizing that they were not interested in harming her, only him.

Now he stared at her while she was lying peacefully on the bed with her hair sticking to her forehead and sweat covering her flushed face. He was debating when to ask her the most important question of his life.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. His heart gave a mad leap for joy.

"I think I could sleep for days," She whispered, shutting her lids again.

"I want to ask you something, Hermione," He answered, standing back up.

She made a noise of inquiry in her throat, something like, "Hmm?"

He picked up his pants and got the small box from the pocket with a glance at her. She still had the satisfied smile on her face and her eyes were closed.

He got down on his knee, feeling sappy and corny at the same time. He took her small hand from behind her head and she sleepily opened her eyes. Her glance went to his hand and she caught sight of the ring box. Her eyes slowly widened as she looked at it.

"Hermione."

"Yes?" Her voice sounded breathless and she was blushing.

"Will you marry me?" He flicked the box open with his thumb as he had been practicing in his pocket for most of the day while they had been shopping. Her eyes opened yet wider as she stared at the princess cut sapphire with a diamond flanking each side.

He could see her eyes filling with tears and he waited. She lay frozen, staring at the ring for a moment, tears finally falling. He shifted his weight and said, "Hermione, you're killing me. Will you or won't you?"

"Yes of course I will," She laughed. She sat up and pulled him back onto the bed, still laughing. He put the ring onto her finger and it shrunk to the correct size. Luckily, he had asked her father before he'd gone to Azkaban, otherwise they would not be officially engaged.

A/N: That's it! I'll leave you with a sappy ending, because I want to. You can imagine the two of them living happily ever after, whatever says happy to you. I think my brain is sick of this story… I've been having a lot of trouble writing these last two chapters. Anyway, Thanks for reading!


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